I’ve reviewed Rob Vollmar and Pablo Callejo’s sprawling Bluesman previously, but it’s worth noting that the third and final installment came out this week and it’s a satisfying ending to a story I could have easily kept reading for another two or three volumes. Vollmar’s scripting is lean but full of character while Callejo draws some of the most expressive figures I’ve seen. Watching Lem Taylor walk to his apparent ultimate fate at the end, singing a spiritual and embracing his future made me get a rather large lump in my throat.
Gilbert Herndandez’s Sloth is easily in competition for best graphic novel of 2006. Casually odd, beautifully drawn, and compelling as all hell, Sloth lets the Palomar half of Los Bros Hernandez explore magical realism and alternate universes a bit more explicitly than what we’ve seen in the Love And Rockets material. There’s some stunning linework in this - minimal figures against psychedelic, almost etched skies and his writing is frightfully sharp and inventive. Between this, The Fountain and Can’t Get No, I’m wondering if this is the year that Vertigo tries to stake its claim in the OGN market instead of being more trade paperback oriented.
I’ve mentioned Tim Fish’s work here before and as a fellow Somerville resident, I am legally obliged to point out that the complete Cavalcade Of Boys is now available. While I may be on the “straight” end of the target market, this gay romance comic has consistently impressed me when I grabbed an issue and getting an omnibus is ideal. Fish is a great cartoonist and I certainly hope this gets him more noticed in a marketplace where work like this is a bit marginalized.
