Written by Vali Chandrasekaran
Art by Jun-Pierre Shiozawa
Available on geniusanimals.net
I had no idea what to make of this book from just glancing at it. I must confess my ignorance of both of these creators and their respective work. That being said, after reading this graphic novel, I am compelled to seek out more of their work. This is really something special.
We are introduced in the first chapter to Alexandra.
She is at a bar with a friend. People hit on her and she ignores them. That is when she meets Todd. They have a whirlwind romance over a bunch of pages.
Time passes.
Then, one morning, Todd vanishes.
Alexandra does not know where he disappeared to. That is when we go over to the next chapter. We see a documentary filmmaker (obviously modeled after Werner Herzog) who is working with a lost tribe that has just been rediscovered. Though a bit jarring, this plays into the larger narrative quite well. It is then that I realized that the creators had a lot that they wanted to say with this book.
We get to see Alexandra try to find Todd. She gets clues and it all plays into the bigger story the creators are telling. It gets expansive and weird. Things get more and interesting throughout and it all leads to one hell of an ending.
This is some great stuff. The script is as unique as can be. It is sweet and romantic and creative. The art is out of this world. It’s expressive and emotional and perfect. This book is excellent and a wonderfully unique experience.
It is unlike anything I’ve read this year and I just loved it.
RATING: A
