I am sick. And I am in the middle of working eight out of nine days. No, I can't afford to take a day off. Such is the life of a starving artist!
In an effort not to bore you with my complaining, yet to follow through on my mission to post to this blog once weekly, I have decided to share with you what's currently occupying my reading time.
One of the managers of the store in which I work brought me three graphic novels to read. These mark my first foray into the graphic novel medium, and I love them. While I'm not going to indulge my penchant for detailed analysis this week, I will highly recommend that you check these beautifully illustrated, fantastical tales.
The first is a graphic novel adaptation of a long-lost Jim Henson/Jerry Juhl screenplay called Tale of Sand. Set in the already-surreal Southwestern U.S. desert landscape, the existential storyline hails from Henson's and Juhl's experimental period. Comic artist Ramón Pérez expertly breathes visual life into the characters and setting, making this graphic novel the next-best-thing to the actual unmade film.
But it is the two-book collection of online comic The Abominable Charles Christopher which stole my ill, feverish heart. Authored and illustrated by veteran comic artist Karl Kerschl, the ongoing tale follows a cast of speaking animals in a world filled with magical happenings. It's humorous, sad, hopeful, heartwarming, and utterly human at once. I'll definitely be following Charles weekly for the rest of his fictional life!
Guess I owe B. a million thanks for opening my mind not only to a new creative medium, but also to two tales perfect for my aesthetic indulgence! :)
Incisive... honest... and interesting. Look forward to more!
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