Swallow Me Whole

by Nate Powell

It is hard to know where to begin with this title; the whole thing is a bit mind-bending.

Story: The story revolves around Ruth, to a lesser extent her stepbrother Perry, and to an even lesser extent their grandmother, "Memaw". More than being family, these three have something in common: they are all schizophrenics to some degree. They all experience vivid hallucinations that they interact with. Ruth collects different insect species that she keeps preserved in jars in her bedroom. Even dead, they talk to her. Unlike Perry, who sees a miniature wizard on the end of his pencil that tells him to draw things, Ruth embraces what she experiences, ultimately believing it will all lead to unraveling the mysteries of her life and the world.

Most of the time we are following the siblings through their high school experiences, though Ruth can be so detached from it all the high school drama seems almost unimportant. Really, the story is a surreal shared experience as the reader enters into the character's subjective world. You are left wondering if they are crazy or not. It is probably what being schizophrenic is like.

Themes: The previously mentioned difference between the two siblings, about how they react to their strange visions, easily examples a major human tug of war. Perry dislikes the hallucinations for making him different than others. He would rather acquiesce to the status quo, living a normal life, fitting in. Ruth throws all that to the dogs, seeing her uniqueness almost as her salvation. Though she is tempted at a few times, it is amazing her resoluteness to stick to her path, and that she doesn't struggle with it more. Most if not all people have come up against the decision of whether to play a part or stand apart in their lives. I think we make these decisions all the times, and are constantly living out the consequences of them, for good or ill. Swallow Me Whole gives us another opportunity to reflect upon our patterns and practices in this area.

The ending deconstructs what we thought was reality a little (these were just hallucinations right? Right?), and leaves Perry looking like quite the enabler for his sister's issues. It all begs the questions of how should loyalty and love play into dealing with someone in such a mental state. I am sure one could apply it to other scenarios as well. I would love to hear peoples thoughts on that one.

Art: I get the feeling that Powell understand that that art in a comic isn't just interesting pictures to look at, but that the drawings, just as much as the writing, are there to serve in telling the story. Sounds like a simple enough idea, but it is surprising how often it is bungled. Even the writing is put in it's place here. The background dialogue is barely, if at all, readable. It is as if to say, "this isn't really important, it is enough to merely know it is there." This brilliantly underscores that the story is about the personal inner world of our character.

The images are rather evocative, at times enigmatic (come on, this is crazy stuff we're talking about), and ultimately exactly what they should be in order suck you into what is going on and keep you there.

And so... According to the author's bio in the back, Powell has been working with developmentally disabled adults since 1999. It lends a certain credibility to his portrait of schizophrenia perhaps. I certainly wouldn't mind picking his brain about it.

Note the dedication in the back, "this is for E.T."

Recommended

The Chuckling Whatsit

by Richard Sala

Suspense! Murder! Revenge!

Story: Follow Mr. Bloom a lame-duck reporter and victim of circumstance in a series murders. As a victim of murder? No, that would be a short story indeed. Just about everyone around him is either a victim or perpetrator by the end. They all want to figure out what he knows, and he just wants to get paid. He doesn't know much of anything about what is going on though, and neither do you really, just the way it should be in a suspense/thriller/mystery. Let's just say that Bloom is a target for multiple people for apparently varied reasons. Nothing like a copycat serial killer, astrologists, a creepy outsider artist, a just-as-creepy art collector, a french woman in a catsuit, and Russian woman with an eye patch, a mysterious figure in a cape and top hat, a broken down windmill outside of town, escaped mental patients, a dude who looks like a wolfman, and several assassins to make for an entertaining read. Intrigued? If so then I have done my duty with revealing anything.

Themes: I'm not really sure if this book had any themes. It was more of a clever unfolding of plot that has one wondering, "what is going to happen next?" Perhaps the moral was 'don't go sticking your nose in other people's business,' for certainly Broom could have saved himself a lot of trouble (and probably therapy) if he had just stayed out of the mess. It is hard to blame the guy though; at times the mess practically jumps on him demanding a piggyback ride. Then maybe the moral is something more like 'you can't escape justice.' There is definitely a truckload of comeuppance for those of ill deeds in the storyline. But it doesn't feel like that sort of white hat black hat sort of justice. I am not sure that Sala was trying to embed any messages actually. There was a happy ending, sort-of, and perhaps that in itself is a kind of message.

Art: Sala sure has the style to fit the story. His black and white ink renderings are full of mood... you can almost feel the intrigue. The characters are very distinct, many of the men being almost gruesome. The whole thing is very noir or Hitchcockian.

You may notice the simple page layouts that Sala uses. It is not very vogue to mostly interchange between a few cut and dry panel schemes, but it works. It was either Eisner or McCloud who stated that complex panel layouts are unnecessary, even that they can detract from the story when overused. Panel schemes are so overblown most of the time the artist might as well be vomiting out angles. This is a nice change of pace.

The storyline jumps around a lot between snippets of events in different places with different characters, slowly pulling all this rogue information into a cohesive whole. Unfortunately Sala doesn't seem to feel the need to mark these transitions visually, which can be jarring. "Okay so now we are are here? Great, great. Oh, guess we're not there anymore." Right...

Notice: There are some creepy/disturbing elements is this comic, which might turn some people off. But, even though I like a good suspense story now and again, I really don't like horror stuff. So I guess if I can handle it, most people probably will be alright.

Recommended: Yeah, it is a fun read when you want something a little lighter, but that is still plenty gripping.

...Probably the vaguest review I'll ever write.

Persepolis 1 & 2

by Marjane Satrapi

If you have been around the block, you have probably heard about Persepolis by now. It is one of those comics that was welcomed by critics far outside of the normal comic book sphere of influence. Biographies are the "it" right now in comics, and after the success of Maus, it isn't any wonder that Persepolis is noticed and lauded left and right. This comic didn't need to piggyback on anyone though, it easily stands on it's own as a superb work.

Story: Persepolis is Satrapi's autobiography of her life growing up Iranian. The first book begins with her at age ten in 1980. It is a time of revolution in Iran. Though the old regime is corrupt, the government that replaces it is founded on fundamentalist Islam and proves to be far worse. What liberties people used to enjoy are stripped away; freedom is thrown out the window. Then there is war with Iraq. It is dangerous times... death from outside, death from within. What a time to be growing up in!

The second book deals with her life after being sent to Austria by her parents to keep her safe. She is getting older, learning to be an adult, and struggling to hold on to her identity and sanity.

Themes: The first book seems to carry the fruits of youth: innocence, idealism, and hope. By contrast, the second book is one of loneliness, aimlessness, and crisis. What? Crisis?!? How could things be worse? She escapes war, but looses everything in the process: Family, friends, community, culture... all gone. The bombs and rockets of the outside world never came close to killing her compared to the results of her internal struggle. Realities are harsh. Gone are the optimisms of her youth.

As all of her tenuous supports in Austria come crashing down she finds herself living on the streets--a testimony to how easily homelessness can grab hold of one's life. Even while watching her put her life back together through the later parts of book two, there is a sense of pessimism about life and the future. It almost feels like "so what?", and her life looks more like a cruel game than anything. One would have hoped that her experiences would have turned her into a great political activist, fighting against tyranny like her uncle Anoush. Life isn't as neat and tidy as our storybooks, is it? That is when you realize the book that you're holding in your hands is the testimony that something amazing has come out of all this. I think that is the greatest post-script to Persepolis.

Art: Satrapi's art is wonderfully black and white, and very simple. That is not to say that it is simplistic. She is very intelligent, whether using silhouettes running down to the basement during an air-raid, or God and Karl Marx floating in a dream world's clouds. The style is clear (vs. some manga, for example, where battles scenes look more like abstract renderings), and emotions are often larger than life. The cartooniness of the graphics sometimes made death disturbingly easy to swallow for me. Contrast this with Maus, which threw death in my face over and over, willing me to come to terms with it's harsh realities.

Bottom line: the art serves the writing well. Even if it is not your favorite style, I'm sure it will grow on you until you look upon it fondly.

After-Effects: Much like Sacco's Palestine, Persepolis is going to bring a lot of insight for the average reader of another world. An intimate tour of Iran is timely. As Iran seeks nukes, the "war on terror" persists, and repressive Islamic governments furrow the brow, what better time to put a human face on the people? Fear, hope, love--we're all human. It is a good thing to remember. For whatever reason Iraq and Iran go to war, even Satrapi's politically dissident parents get caught up in the nationalism that sweeps the people. We really are all the same. Hopefully comics and books like these will get into the hands of the average American and start changing the way we think and act.

Btw: Did I mention that she has a wicked sense of humor? Admittedly, this really did happen to her...

Three Shadows

By Cyril Pedrosa

I am really happy with the publisher First Second (aka :01). They have been publishing some great comics that go in interesting directions. Scott McCloud in his Comics series described this medium as one with vast potential rarely lived up to. I came to that conclusion before ever reading his books, and I believe that :01 is one of those publishers who seeks out the innovators and gets them space on the shelf.

First Things: Pedrosa is French, and this is my first review of a European comic. Tin Tin isn't the only thing to come out of the old country, and I for one, am excited to see what they've been up all this time. The translation is seamless, and one would be hard pressed to guess it was originally written in another language. The tale might have some of an "old world" feel to it, but the subject matter is universal to the human condition.

Story: The story begins with a remote and merry agricultural family. Conflict comes to this Shangri La in the form of three silent figures who suddenly appear and start haunting the family. Soon they realizes that these three have come for the son, Joachim. The wife, Lise, soon accepts this. The father, Louis, is resolute to fight, flee, and do whatever it takes to hold back their relentless pursuers.

I didn't read the back flap until I finished the story, but there is one key piece of information back there: the motivation. It says that "Three Shadows was born out of the agony of [Pedrosa] watching his close friends' child die very young." Several of the story element are mystical and fantastic. I think this one statement unlocks understanding for the reader. All of the sudden it doesn't seem so cryptic anymore. This isn't a story that started out as "hey, wouldn't it be cool if..." but it is born out of the creator's own emotional struggle.

The Art: Pedrosa worked as an animator for Disney during the making of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules. The art shows some of the best from animation: lines imbued with flow and movement, and distinct, expressive character designs. I am at a loss to try and pin point the medium employed in Shadows. At first it looked like pencil, but I realized that some of the pages show clearly that brush work was involved. There is everything represented from intricate line work to thick swaths of black dry brushwork. It is hard to tell with reproduction, and this could possibly be a mixed-media work. Regardless, I can adamantly state: this guy can draw, er... paint... whatever. Brushwork by a talented hand is quite satisfying to view, and has a kind of personality that fits well when focusing on portraying emotions. Basically, the pictures are wonderful.

Themes: Pedrosa often enough breaks into surrealism in his art, emphasizing the downright unnatural and disorienting feeling of "wrongness" that accompanies death, especially the death of the young. It is more than death, but fear, anger, grief, and other strong emotion permeate this saga. Context is often swepted away to a bare minimum so that we, the readers, can enter deeper into what these characters are feeling. Make no mistake, this narrative is more about coping with death than the realities of death itself. The battles aren't physical ones (as much as the father would have liked them to be), but the internal ones of the heart. This is heavy stuff.

Something I find beautiful are all the moments that don't deal with the main concern of impending dissolution. Louis is relentless about protecting his son Joachim, but other cares manage to eek in through the cracks. The first time the father laughed again was like the sweet release after holding one's breath for too long. In the midst of all the fear and mistrust, there is compassion that finally offered out toward others. Interestingly enough, this kindness and fellowship is initiated by the boy. Children are often the salvation of adults.

There is plenty more, and without a doubt I say that this book will give the reader much to meditate on. I wouldn't be surprised, too, if it would be a support to those finding themselves overwhelmed by the hardships of loss.

Recommened: No doubt about it.

The Complete Peanuts: 1950-1952

by Charles Schulz

These Peanuts collections have been catching my eye for a time--seriously, whoever designed the covers did a great job (Fantagraphics). Anyway, 1950-1952 is the first in the collection, meaning this is the very beginning. That's right, the first time anyone ever saw this kooky kid called Charlie Brown, and a lovable beagle named Snoopy.

The Art: Getting right to it, one of the most striking things about this hefty collection, 287 pages of two years of a daily published comic strip, is to see the shift in Schulz's artwork. It is not a change from bad to good, but rather one of style. If you thought these kids had big heads, you need to see the first few months; in comparison, the later head designs look like golf balls . By the end of the book you realize that he was someone who constantly was revising and improving as an artist. On the last page there is still a lot of difference between the Snoopy that you're seeing and the one we are familiar with.

No arguing about it, Schulz's technique is superb; he is a master of the pen like few are anymore in our computer age. You can expect to see beautiful work on every page. He admits in the interview at the end of the book that he has made choices with Peanuts that he realized later were mistakes. My only issue with the art in this collection is probably one of those: for first several months after Lucy's appearance her eyes are rendered differently than the other characters. It is very off putting and even tempted me to skip some of the strips.

Minor complaints aside, Schulz can do more than make a pretty picture. He is just as good at using his artwork to tell a story as he is his words. Most of the time to two are working in tandem, but as the months go by there is an increasing number of strips that contain no dialogue. In one strip, Charlie Brown and Patty are playing cards. The first panel has Charlie lean over to peek at hers, then in the next she at his. In the third they both look at the same time, and in the fourth they both are looking quite embarrassed, their eyes downcast on their own cards.

Themes: Tackling all the themes that appear in this book would be ridiculous, besides, the book's afterword did a great job at it. Schulz does well at revealing the truths, often ugly, of human interaction in a meager four panels. He manages to be funny and relevant, which is not always easy.

These strips were written in the early 1950's but they rarely feel like it. Schulz is general enough, that his work was timeless from the beginning. He tapped into the basics of humans living in the ups and downs: fear, anger, and how our mood is so susceptible to changing circumstances. For example, Charlie Brown turns on Snoopy saying, "Stop following me!! All day long you've been following me around like a dog!" Snoopy is first shocked and then angry. Charlie Brown realizing what has has done continues, "Whoops! What have I said?!" Pleadingly he follows Snoopy, "I'm sorry, Snoopy... I spoke hastily! I'm sorry... it was just an expression..." Who hasn't been in a situation like that? These strips can function on two levels: you read them, you laugh, you move on, or, after laughing you pause and contemplate, learning a thing or two about yourself and others.

The Extras: As I mentioned above, the collection has a great afterword, titled, "The life and times of Charles M. Schulz," which helps the reader put a funny kid and his gaggle of cohorts into the perspective of what was going on at the time of writing, and the impact they made. The picture is painted that these sullen, struggling characters were like sweet relief in the choking, over-the-top optimism of the 1950's. The afterword's writer describes the 50's as being a time when it wasn't okay to feel any other way. Peanuts was a comforting jolt of realism for anyone who felt differently.

There is also a very intelligently conducted interview with Schulz done in 1987. It gives innumerable insights into the man and the reason behind his work. Interestingly enough, he never intended the strip to be a communication tool for spreading his philosophies of life. Schulz just focused on keeping it funny. He also hated the title Peanuts; he didn't choose it and felt it was undignified and made no sense. There is an introduction too, but I didn't read it so... no comment.

Recommended: You betcha.

P.S. Who ever heard of the character "Shermy"?

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 1-3

by Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka

I first saw Pluto while checking out a local comic book store. Specialized comic retailers that carry manga often stock edgy, lesser known series (well, I think so). Though the cover was intriguing, I figured it would be weird, intense, and that I wouldn't like it. I was wrong.

Background: Pluto is a rehash by Urasawa of a particular story in Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy series entilted, The Greatest Robot On Earth. With prodding from Tezuka's son, Macoto, Urasawa has not simply rehashed the story, but made it something all his own. For starters, the central character is now Gesicht, who in the original was part of the supporting cast. Atom (Astro Boy) is only introduced by the end of Vol. 1.

The story: In an unestablished point in Earth's future, man and robot coexist. As technology is advancing robots are becoming almost impossible to distinguish from humans, both in physical appearance and mannerisms. The most advanced robots, which most of the cast are, have highly developed AI and are beginning to vaguely understand concepts such as hate, love, and fear. In recent history, the world has adopted a set of "robot laws" to recognize and protect the rights of robots. Gesicht, as a member of Europol, is called in on the cases of serial murders of pro-robot humans, and prominent, powerful robots.

Themes: Besides the thrill of a good mystery, Pluto manages to open up discussions on relevant issues. There is some political intrigue coupled with a recent war, which, to me, resembled the recent conflict between Iraq and the U.S.A. Urasawa uses the cast of robots to present different attitudes and responses to the horrors and moral challenges of warfare in a way that is gratifyingly simple.

The "robot laws" pose basic civil rights questions of what makes a person valuable. In my experience, robots are often used to bring up this discussion, and lend well toward it. In the particular case of Pluto, Urasawa has perhaps made it a little more realistic. At one point I thought, "this reminds me of the Black Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s." He has even gone as far as to dress the anti-robots group in a manner very reminiscent of the KKK. In fact, I believe a character says at one point that they are sort of like the KKK. The best stories usually open up these avenues for us to remember and ponder the relevant issues of our time, and yet without screaming it through a megaphone at us.

The art style is far different and more modern than Tezuka. The character designs in Pluto are delightful subdued. The art is more realistic than the average manga (*gasp* real noses) and the characters are all distinct without resorting to outlandishness. The first few pages are color, and almost everything is well rendered by Urasawa's practiced hand. Really my only complaint would be the facial expressions. Most characters have a constant furrowed brow, which sometimes forces the emotional weight to be carried by the text.

The pacing was good (usually true of a page turner), and Urasawa manages well the fundamental rule of mystery/suspense: don't give too much away. The withholding of information can at times even be frustrating, which poses the question of whether or not he is being a little too stingy.

Recommended? very much so.

P.S. Something that I enjoyed immensely with Pluto was that so far (through volume 3) Urasawa has avoided the tendency in Manga toward the "wtf?" The characters aren't grossly over the top sadists or masochists. Even the murders are shown briefly and without the usual load of gruesomeness. Seriously, sometimes I wonder what happened to the Japanese to make them so out of whack (...maybe fire bombing, atomic weapons, and disillusioning materialism?). Admittedly, the villian(s) haven't been but barely revealed by the end of Vol. 3, and there is still plenty of time for him to go that route.