BOOKS
f, like me, your approach to the world of
comics and graphic novels is that of a curi
ous dilettante, the feverish relationship
many diehard fans appear to have to the
swords ’n’ sorcerers/superhero “genre”
comics can seem impenetrable, if not down
right amusing. (I’ve had friends in the business
confirm to me that when the writers of The
Simpsons created the smug, insular “Comic
Book Guy” character, it was only a very slight
exaggeration).
But then there are the other comics—the
most famous examples are probably Peter
Bagge’s Hate and Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer-
winning Maus series—that offer more expan
sive, relatable themes to those of us outside the
stereotyped comics niche. Oni Press, an inter
nationally admired comic publishing house
based in Portland, has a proud history of fur
thering this nonfantastical vein; many of its
books center around recognizably human char
acters, and its best releases feature poignant,
dramatic storylines that leaven a deceptively
simple visual style with a certain punkish (or
perhaps new wave-ish) irreverence and a
healthy dose of kitchen-sink pathos.
Two recent Oni offerings are of particular
interest for placing queer storylines within their
panels: Maria's Wedding, a graphic novel writ
ten by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
and illustrated by Jose Garibaldi, and Hopeless
Savages,a series written by Jen van Meter and
illustrated by a rotating group of artists, most
recently Christine Norrie.
Savages is the ongoing episodic chronicle of
the lives of an ultraprogressive yet structurally
traditional punk rock family. (The dad’s punk
moniker is Dirk Hopeless, and the mom is
I
Panel discussion
Graphic novels incorporate poignant queer storylines
by
|
C hristopher M c Q uain
named Nikki
Savage;
hence, the
coolest
hyphenated
name ever.)
Twitch,
the second-
youngest
Hopeless-
Savage, is
gay. He has
apparently
had his share
of boy trou
ble, though
Hopeless Savages chronicles
the latest
the lives of a punk rock family.
Savages
miniseries, Too Mueh Hopeless Savages, finds
him more or less happily in love with a young
Asian-American man named Henry Shi.
Henry’s brother Claude is dating another
Hopeless-Savage, Twitch’s older sister Arsenal
(only in the most modem families do monikers
like these come into play), and we follow the
four along on a trip to Hong Kong, where they
receive troubling psychic predictions from
Henry’s mystical-s<x>rhsaying great-grandmoth-
'
i
I
!
I
i
An Italian-American family feuds during
Maria's Wedding.
er and are caught in the web of some sort of.
secret-agent sabotage presumably to be
explained in the rest of the series. (TTiis is the
first of four installments.) The zesty, textured
drawings, lively storylines and unique charac
terizations comprise an enticing mixture of
those usually oxymoronic elements, hipness
and warmth.
An additional note: Hopeless Savages:
Ground Zero, a recently published compilation
of the second Savages series, is highly recom
mended to neophytes. It offers not only the
necessary context for maximal appreciation of
Too Mueh Hopeless Savages, it also contains a
tender passage wherein Twitch tries to help his
sister, who’s having love troubles, by sharing
with her what he knows about boys.
Maria’s Wedding opens with a flashback to
the Unitarian commitment ceremony of
Joseph—the older brother of our protagonist,
twentysometing Frankie Pirelli—and Matthew.
Their nontraditional union has caused a rift in
the extended Italian-American Pirelli family,
many of whom disapproved or refused to
attend, and is a major source of tension as they
gather for the nups of Maria, Frankie’s cousin,
to a man of dubious personality.
All of the action takes place on rhe day of
Maria’s wedding, which makes for a disciplined,
fix: used, short/sweet narrative while still man
aging to vividly encompass each nuclear unit of
the vast Pirelli clan. Each character is charm
ingly drawn, and there’s an evocative black-
and-white elegance throughout. Mana’s Wed-
ding has a fine, cinematic style and sense of
framing; it’s like Raging Bull as a family-drama
comic book. jm
The P ortland C omic B ook S how will be
'held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 6 at
Memorial Coliseum, 300 N. Winning Way.
Admission is $6.
2006 CHICAGO GAY GAMES 2006
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