Hi there, today we have Annie Mok with a review of Lynda Barry's The Greatest of Marlys
Marlys continues D+Q’s reprint series of Barry’s entire output. The original edition, a floppy paperback from Sasquatch Books, gets an aesthetic update as well as a new comics introduction from Barry. The yellow brick of a best-of feels like a textbook, and thanks to the immersive nature of Barry’s comics, a reader can get lost for days in these semi-self-contained strips, picking up a few at a time at leisure.
The semi-autobiographical stories continues Barry’s juxtapositions of sweetness and horror in the lives of young people, but this group of strips lets a little more light in than usual (as seen in works like The Freddie Stories and Cruddy). One strip, “Who Are the Dogs?” goes down the list of dogs in Marlys’ neighborhood, each with wild, Muppet-y eyes.
Bleaker elements come through subtly, due to the child protagonists’ take on the situations. A strip called “Marlys’ Guide to Queers” ends with Marlys narrating, “If you see my Uncle John and Bill, please say I miss them and come back soon.” (My heart!)
Elsewhere:
Pam Butler takes a look at some rare Krazy Kat-related images and films.
Paul Gravett interviews Chinese cartoonist/illustrator Zao Dao.
Alex Dueben interviews Trina Robbins.
Frank Santoro's latest benefit auction for the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency is a treasure box of Hernandez brothers artwork and ephemera.
