Writer/Artist: Daniel Clowes
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (ISBN 1-56097-116-9)
Back around 1989 or so, I had a friend who had scavenged some underground comics from somewhere and had them scattered around his apartment. Most were boring, or pretentious, however one title, Eightball, caught my eye. There were a number of serialized stories going on, maybe all by Clowes, I’m not sure. All I remember is reading chapter three of Like A Velvet Glove Cast in Iron and being disturbed as hell. There are a couple of images there that have stayed with me to this day. Whenever I try to think of an unsettling image to make my friends go “eeeeew” (you’d be surprised how often that happens, actually), one panel in particular of that story would spring to mind. In effect, it scarred me. Emotionally and intellectually. Thank you, Mr. Clowes. It was so off-putting that I never tracked down the rest of the story (until now, that is) in the same sort of manner that I put off finishing Naked Lunch for a year after reading the “Hassan’s Rumpus Room” chapter, or have yet to finish Hubert Selby’s The Room. This was grim, twisted stuff. If all you know Clowes by is Ghost World, then be prepared for a shock.
When Fantagraphics announced a few months ago that they were in financial trouble, I pitched in and finally bought the trade and read the rest of the story. This is genius; Dark, demented genius, but genius nonetheless. The artwork is classic Clowes, a cartoony realism that tends to make the reader more and more uneasy as the story develops. The story is like what David Lynch wishes Lost Highway could have been like – and I liked Lost Highway.
The story concerns a man named Clay, who after spotting his ex-wife in a surrealist porn flick, decides to try and track her down to find out why she left him. What follows is anything but normal. Shady cops, lonely mothers, dogs with no orifices, a girl who may be part fish, feminist cultists, conspiracy theories and martial law are all only disparate elements of one of the creepiest comics I’ve ever seen. When the book arrived, I unwrapped it and had intended to just flip through and check out the creepy parts. I could read it later, at my leisure. Then, without warning, I was immediately trapped and couldn’t put the darn thing down until I was finished. This is definitely not for everyone. But it is damn good stuff.
The trade is slightly oversized and in black and white, so when you combine that with the artistic style and the story content itself, there’s pretty much everything required to repulse your average comic reader. However, if you are feeling adventurous and in the mood for something strange that may cause permanent damage to your brain, I highly recommend this trade.
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