Paul Karasik has dropped by to review Carol Swain's 2014 book, Gast. We ran an excellent Sean T. Collins piece about the book back then. More the merrier, I say.
Gast does what good literary fiction does, it transports you to a specific location, introduces you to specific characters, and takes you to unexpected and very satisfying conclusions…and it does so with spare text and precise pictures. Swain is a keen observer and a stringent editor; every panel is intentionally composed and framed, every word balloon lean and to the point. But the effect is the opposite of being left with a sparse, cold, shorthand. Her charcoal and ink drawing is lush and textured. In paring down the exposition, the reader is asked to work a bit harder than in the typical graphic novel, and that extra bit of work is part of the pleasure of reading Gast.
Links today are all publishing previews!
Moebius at Dark Horse in detail at last -- sounds OK.
Chester Brown's new book at AV Club.
Grant Morrison's debut issue of Heavy Metal.
