CWR WEEKEND BLOG EXTRA

Welcome back to the Blog Extra! This week: a new wave of books from Fantagraphics’ Ignatz series. For those unfamiliar with the Ignatz books, a primer: they are 32-page “floppies” with a twist. They’re printed on heavy paper, have heavy-paper dust-jackets, and present the works of acclaimed artists from all over the world.

REFLECTIONS #1, written and drawn by Marco Corona, presents the story of a little girl and her strange family. Her mother is mentally ill, her brother has a disease that keeps him in the hospital full-time, her grandfather teachers her how to smoke, and her grandmother… well she’s odd, but she at least takes decent care of her. The young woman’s imagination takes her on a vivid ride, including her strange ideas about what her brother’s sickness truly is, but the book’s strange opening sequence and attempted framing sequence take away from the compelling material already contained within.

Igort, the Ignatz line’s editor, delivers his second book in the series, BAOBAB #2. BAOBAB is an artistically accomplished book, Igort having a tremendous eye for detail, and the story is also strong. Two cartoonists in the early 20th century attempt to get their careers moving, and a love affair never to be begun sputters its way towards doom. But he core of the book is the friendship between the two men, and Igort makes you care about their lives and get aggravated about the love that never sprouts and grows. There’s some artistically brave and complex work here, and Igort shows that he possesses the soul of a true innovator.

Our final book of the week is NIGER #1, written and drawn by Leila Marzocchi. NIGER follows the path of a strange creature that floats out of a river and lands in an old tree house. The creatures of the forest must then decide what to do with the strange being now in their midst. The spiders want to eat her; the birds want to offer protection. NIGER is, for lack of a better term, OWLY aimed straight at the adult reader. Marzocchi’s art is dark and charming, and the characters are sweet. This is a cute book, and one of the best efforts to come out of the Ignatz line to date. Give it a look.

That’s it for this week. Check in this week for main site updates, and be back here next weekend for another CWR WEEKEND BLOG EXTRA!

/Mason