For many writers and artists, graphic novels offer a fantastic storytelling medium that’s equivalent to creating an independent movie with an unlimited budget. Unfortunately, like a lot of movies, many graphic novels are often limited to popular subjects (especially superheroes) which can become repetitive after a while.
Even so, there are still plenty of comic book creators who enjoy creating graphic novels that deal with topics and subjects that go beyond the superhero genre – and often test what constitutes science fiction, fantasy, drama, romance, and even “literature.”
reMind
Sonja is a young woman living in her late father’s lighthouse where she spends her days wandering with her cat Victuals and tinkering with her inventions. But that all changes one day when Victuals goes missing – only to wash up a week later with the ability to speak, walk on his hind legs, and even cook fish!
What happened to Victuals? As Sonja gets drawn into this mystery, she learns her cat was kidnapped by the king of an undersea tribe of lizard men who transplants the brains of any dissidents into the bodies of dogs and cats to keep them from threatening his power. Now trapped in a feline form, “Victuals” realizes he may never return home and is prepared to resign himself to a life on the surface world.
Fortunately for Victuals, Sonja’s inventions include a strength-amplifying, water-breathing suit of armor that’s ideal for a lizard man-turned-cat who wants to return to his undersea home and reclaim his original body. But as Victuals nears his goal, he discovers something terrible that might irrevocably alter his hopes for his future…
The brainchild of independent comic book creator Jason Brubaker, reMind shows that in the hands of a creative storyteller, even the weirdest concepts can be imbued with both pathos and comedy. While the idea of a talking cat is inherently comedic, Brubaker also recognizes the tragedy of Victuals’ fate, and manages to show both sides of the situation (an early scene where Victuals offers Sonja a fish he just cooked and seasoned is alternately hilarious and moving).
Much of the story’s success also lies in Brubaker’s art, which ranges from photorealistic depictions of Sonja and her coastal town (beautifully presented in a mixture of black-and-white and colored pictures), to cartoony illustrations of Victuals’ saucer-eyed, football-shaped head. Somehow this juxtaposition also helps readers accept the bizarreness of the plot, especially when Victuals leaves the relatively normal surface world for an undersea kingdom of talking lizard men.
A self published work with an initial print run of only 2500 copies, reMind also stands out for its attractive book design. As Brubaker notes in his afterward, special effort was made to make reMind the type of graphic novel that would not look out of place among coffee table books, and the end result – a thick, hardbound volume full of lavishly painted artwork – accomplishes just that.
Gingerbread Girl
When Annah Billips was nine, her scientist father removed the part of her brain responsible for feeling and grew it into the Gingerbread Girl, a genetic twin who now feels everything for Annah – or so Annah would have people believe. In truth, there is little proof that “Ginger” ever existed, causing many people to wonder if Annah really was the victim of a mad science experiment… or if she’s just plain mad.
So begins this story which follows Annah and her girlfriend Chili on their date as an assortment of characters – from a shopkeeper, to a mystic charlatan, to a passing pigeon – all break the fourth wall to tell the reader what they know about Annah’s troubled childhood and Ginger’s existence (or non-existence). It’s a story that often reveals more about its narrators than Annnah herself – yet remains no less intriguing because of this.
Written by Marvel Comics’ writer Paul Tobin and illustrated by fan favorite Colleen Coover, Gingerbread Girl offers a storyline somewhat reminiscent of independent films like Keva Rosenfeld’s Twenty Bucks (which follows the life of a twenty dollar bill) where the way the story is told is often more memorable than the actual plot. While Ginger’s identity remains a constant source of intrigue, readers will ultimately be more interested in what character will speak up and offer his or her insights on Annah’s condition.
Coover’s art also proves extremely versatile as she takes readers through a variety of scenes, from art museums to mad scientist labs to city rooftops. Her cartoonish style contrasts somewhat with the story’s adult themes, as Annah’s activities and surroundings occasionally showcase frank (although not graphic) depictions of nudity, sex, and one large phallic symbol. That said, the sense of whimsy Coover’s art provides works very well with Tobin’s unconventional storytelling structure and is a large part of what will keep readers turning pages.
Sources:
Brubaker, Jason. reMind. North Hollywood: Coffee Table Comics, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-9831149-0-1
Tobin, Paul and Colleen Coover. Gingerbread Girl. Marietta: Top Shelf Productions, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-60309-080-3
Michael Jung - Michael Jung is a professional writer, children’s literature specialist, and online book dealer whose articles, reviews, interviews, ...
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