ThreeCAF: Three books from TCAF 2015, Part 1

This is the first of a new feature I'll run in several parts: short reviews of some comics of note at TCAF 2015.

Lydian, Sam Alden, Space Face Books, 2015

A fantastic new comic by Sam Alden. I had seen some bits and pieces online on his tumblr page in the past, but never saw the whole thing. It is now published with a wonderfully bright cover design. The back cover is also particularly nice. Lydian tells the fantasy adventure story of a young man who fights Clyde (an evil sentient resort - yes really, a resort) and his minions alongside the team he created. It's done in a sort of old school video game 8-bit color style. Although at first glance you may think this comic is purely a stylistic exercise, but it is a surprising look at the psyche of a teenager with confidence and personal issues, who`s trapped in a weird and dangerous world.

This book, particularly in printed form, adds a second layer of meaning that I didn't anticipate going in. The 8-bit color era is for the most part gone, which makes a nice parallel with the paper format of books. I can imagine that some people much younger than me will be reading this on their tablet and not once wonder about the reason for a book made out of paper in the first place, or why this computer art looks so pixelated now that we have access to such sleak computerized images. The existence of both of these forms of art being relegated to the past makes this feel like an artifact and a fresh new take on comics at the same time.

There's no bath in this bathroom, Joe Decie, 2015

A free giveaway from Joe Decie at TCAF that I would have gladly paid for. In There's no bath in this bathroom, Joe Decie tells us about his visit to Toronto when he attended TCAF 2014. Decie describes his experience and moves effortlessly from the mundanity of travel to the small surreal moments that happen to all of us when we are in unfamiliar territories. Whether it be the Francophone girls at the train station, the bathroom in the pizzeria with the lights turned off, or even the cook eerily walking outside, those small events provide a good look at how one person internalizes the experiences of travelling.

Sorry i can't come in on monday i'm really really sick, Jane Mai, Koyama Press, 2014

Koyama Press published this mini-comic from Jane Mai. It's a collection of random thoughts from a depressed woman sitting at home in her underwear. It packs a surprising punch for such a small comic. The thoughts we read range from dark humor to deep revelation about humanity and oneself. The image of a centipede running throughout reminds the reader of the difficulty in truly pinpointing depression. Sometime we are able to see it clearly, most other times it is hidden, but it is around us, lurking in the shadows of bad days and small losses that the people around experience. In spite of the bright pink cover and it's size, this comic will make you think and perhaps even reflect on your own mental state.

Jesse Jabobs Young Safari Guide: Humanity, Nature, even the Stars are a Mess

Fauna

Young Safari Guide is a thing of wonder. In this prequel to Safari Honeymoon (one of my favourite comics of 2014 so far), Jesse Jacobs introduces us to a nightmarish and dangerous jungle. The titular young safari guide shoots a pregnant creature while hunting. It's offspring emerge and attack him before turning on each other. Jacobs creates a violent environment for his protagonist, one he will explore further in Safari Honeymoon. I picked up these two books at TCAF 2014 and will review the other book shortly. 

This jungle is a thing of wonder. The cover of this comic introduces us to the fauna. Creepy crawling or walking monsters with razor-sharp teeth. Impossible insects and weird vagina dentata monster (a recurring motif). The inside cover shows us the flora. It's impossible leaves and bulbous plants are fantastic and innovative. The inside back cover mixes fauna and flora with the young safari guide, not quite at the center of it.

Flora

Jacobs` style favours detail and imagination over consistency. I cannot tell which animals/creatures are in the same category. Is this a canine, a feline or what is it? Yet this works to the book`s advantage. The young safari guide is surrounded by a menacing environment, which the reader cannot fully comprehend. We are at the mercy of this violent environment where every new discovery can be deadly. Jacobs` creatures are so foreign and creepy and the amount of detail in his drawing reinforces this foreignness. Each page is a mesmerizing miasma of mouths, tentacles and eyeballs. I also see a ridiculous amount of vagina-shaped monsters, most of which have teeth. Draw your own conclusion.

This book also contains the best depiction of yearning and depression I have ever seen. 

Yearning and Depression

The main theme of this book seems to touch on man's place amongst nature. Not just what position he occupies in the world, but also how he got there. After the offspring attack, the young safari guide contemplates the violent spectacle that ensues. The monsters attack each other, leading the guide to wonder: "How had such a miserable species survived so long in this harsh wilderness?" How do these beasts manage to thrive, and what role does mankind play in an environment like this? "There was no goddamn order to any of it. Even the stars are a mess. Had I had my rifle,  I would have shot down every one of those goddamned stars." Mankind is just as brutal and violent as anything else in nature. We just articulate our violence better, either through guns or simple act of aggression. When the guide kills the birds, we glimpse the barbarity that is inherently part of all nature, including mankind. Nature, mankind and the stars are a mess after all.