PRE-SAN DIEGO BLOG EXTRA: MONDAY

Since there won’t be regular site updates while I’m gone at Comic-Con International (there will, however, be updates here), I’m taking this week to do a little bit of advance catch-up on the large pile of books awaiting my attention.

POSTCARDS
Written and Drawn by Various
Edited by Jason Rodriguez
Published by Villard

On a trip for his girlfriend’s birthday,
Jason Rodriguez found himself in a spot that so many of us have: stuck shopping in an establishment he couldn’t care less about. In his case, she had dragged him out antiquing, a fate that can rank right up there with colorectal surgery performed with rusty implements. But this woman was smart; knowing he had a taste for making up stories from other peoples’ lives, she stopped by the boxes of postcards available for sale. And much to his surprise, many of them had been used and sent, offering a brief and mysterious glimpse into someone else’s world. Thus was born the concept behind POSTCARDS; Rodriguez has taken many of the postcards he’s collected, given them to a plethora of fine comic creators, and set them free to create the stories behind the missives.

While this doesn’t spring to mind as the most obvious genesis for an anthology, it does prove to be one of the most fruitful. What an amazing piece of work POSTCARDS turns out to be- like with FLIGHT, there isn’t a true whiff in the entire bunch. Each of these tales (sixteen in all) had something to recommend about it, whether it’s a clever concept or gorgeous art, or both. The talent here is a who’s who of gifted folks: Tom Beland, Rick Spears and Rob G, Josh Fialkov, Neil Kleid, Phil Hester, Danielle Corsetto (are you reading GIRLS WITH SLINGSHOTS? If you aren’t, why not?), Harvey Pekar… and not one of them disappoints. It’s Hester who delivers the book’s star turn, “A Joyous Eastertide;” it’s a heart-breaking tale about love, family, and death that I won’t soon forget.

If there’s one criticism to be made about POSTCARDS, it’s tonal. As Rodriguez himself admits, there’s a hint of death to the entire enterprise, considering that those who sent the cards are gone. And many of the stories are damned dark and depressing, with plenty of death in the air. Still, that shouldn’t take away from the craft of the book, and the emotional satisfaction it delivers to the reader. This is an excellent book for a sophisticated and intelligent audience.

/Mason