Well hello again. It’s been too long since last we palavered. Won’t you sit a spell while I tell you some news? Well, actually it isn’t so much news as it is recommendations. With the year coming to an end, I thought I’d give you a brief run down of some of my favorite graphic novels from this past year. I whittled the list down to eight and I’ll be counting them down in a series of posts (because otherwise I’d be publishing a manifesto post).
Now, before I dive in, let me throw out this caveat that my list is in no way a complete representation of all the GN’s published over the past year. Oh, I wish I had time to read that many, but I don’t. So what you’re getting is a list of some of the best of what I managed to read. To that end, if you have your own additions, something you’d like to see other people reading, then by all means, throw down in the comments section.
Okay, enough of my gibber-jabber. On with the recommendations:
Chiaroscuro by Troy Little
Look at this. One pick in and I’m already bending my own rules. I’m throwing this one in because 1. it’s a great book and 2. the paperback edition was published this year, so it kinda-sorta qualifies on a technicality. If I had to choose one book out of this list to urge you to find a copy and read, this would be the one. Author/illustrator Troy Little’s book is about the creative process, the creative industry, what it takes to get on in both world, and about a case of mistaken identity…among other things. The artwork in this book is amazing. Little moves his panels around to great effect, never forcing them into a scene. The detail work is impressive as well, you’ll find yourself taking time to just stare at the pictures from time to time. Or, you will if you’re like me. It’s clear that a lot of love and hard work went into creating this book and you, the reader, will reap the benefit.
More after the jump…
So here's the gist of the story: Our hero is Steven Patch, an artist with only one canvas and a serious case of artist's block. Introspective and angsty, he spends a lot of time complaining about his lot in life without doing too much to change it. Needless to say, he isn't living high on the hog these days, although he does have a small group of friends who listen, give advice, coffee, and other such necessities. And that's where fate steps in, Steven is mistaken for the previous tenant of his apartment (there's a great scene where Steven attempts to notify the post office that he is not, in fact, the person they have listed as living in his apartment) and is soon swept up in the world of high art and society. But life isn't roses here either, and Stephen will soon have to make some hard choices between life and art.
And in summarizing that, I have done it a great injustice. Honestly, this is a book that needs to be read. If you have even an iota of creativity in you, then you'll recognize Steven's dilemma (even if you've never been mistaken for someone else). Chiaroscuro is the first in the Patchwork books. Creator Troy Little is currently at work on his Angora Napkin series, soon to be a graphic novel as well, and will hopefully return to more tales of Steven Patch and his friends in the very near future. But don't let that dissuade you from picking up Chiaroscuro, the book holds up on its own. In my not-so-humble opinion, this was the best book to be released in the last couple of years.
This looks great! I'll have to check this out.