John Porcellino

I've been aware of the existence of King-Cat Comics and Stories from shortly after it began in 1989, but I've never actually seen an issue as I was never into mincomics or zines. (Back in those days, if it wasn't the same size as an issue of Superman, Spider-Man or Cerebus, I felt it wasn't really a comic book.) I'd seen some selections from King-Cat here or there, but frankly I could never keep it straight from James Kochalka's American Elf stuff; they were both just daily diary comics I show more never read.

So I thought this collection showing up at the library was a sign that I should finally give this long-acclaimed series a try. Only this turned out to be a horrible starting place as it collects issues 62 through 68 from 2003-2007. I don't know what is contained in issues #1-61, but I assume it would have given me enough connection to Porcellino that when he spends several pages talking about his various haircuts and barbers through the decades, I just might possibly give a damn. Dozens and dozens of pages in this brick are just Porcellino walking around streets or moving from city to city to city or adapting silly Zen Buddhist koans or attempting some free form poetry. Mind-numbingly dull.

If it weren't for the sudden death of his father memorialized in issue #64, I doubt I would have learned much of anything about Porcellino from this book. He does not even really explain why he was moving so much during this period until the endnotes. That's also where he reveals he struggles with OCD and other issues. If your endnotes are more interesting than the body of your work, I feel cheated as a reader. I could almost see trying one of his earlier collections based on the endnotes, but at this point I'd probably approach it too defensively to ever get into it. show less

I love reading graphic adaptations of classic works, and it doesn't get much more classic than Thoreau's Walden. I went through a period in my youth where I was fascinated by "alternative" religious experiences, and I know that the transcendentalists probably didn't consider their philosophy a religion, but they sort of get mushed together for me. It's all about how you choose to live in the world, right? I think most people know something about the Walden story - Thoreau sort of ducked out show more of life, built himself a cabin in the woods and lived there alone for a couple of years, reading and writing and thinking and growing stuff and eating what he grew. This is a very short book, and the drawings are very spare, and it does not attempt to recount the entire book, but rather to capture its essence in a few pithy phrases. It definitely succeeds - whether you are familiar with the Walden story or not, you come away with an understanding not just of Thoreau's experience, but his motivations. There are also extensive endnotes, which explain why the author chose the phrases he did, and fill in the background a little (such as explaining that Thoreau's cabin was only about a mile from the town of Concord, and he went there often during his stay at the pond, so he wasn't exactly living the full hermit life). It also blows my mind that, in his early 20s, Thoreau built this cabin himself. I know it was a different time (the mid-1800s) when maybe that wasn't such a big deal, but I still feel like that alone is a pretty monumental accomplishment, totally separate from all he achieved intellectually. I do believe that studying and remembering these efforts does continue to inform and enrich our modern way of life. show less

Porcellino's minimalism is deft and often affecting--there's sometimes that particular kind of magic/rhythm where something happens in the moving between panels that comes together to make something bigger than any of the individual panels themselves--and his portrayal of his own deeply ill thought patterns is brutally honest and visceral, but. But! I worry about the way he portrays various kinds of medical (and alternative) treatments, and the hope for a recovery that he doesn't seem quite show more able to shake. show less

John Porcellino is one of my favorite cartoonists, and a kindred soul in many respects. I read this book in a couple of afternoons, while holed up in the only air-conditioned room in the house. I had previously read many of the stories collected here, but it was a different and more meaningful experience to read them straight through. This particular era of King-Cat (1996-2002) contains some of John's most poignant stories, as these issues were produced during a period of time when there was show more a lot of turmoil in his life. A real treat in this volume comes at the end, where John provides notes on some of the stories, as well as excerpts from his journals. This is a rare opportunity for readers to glimpse a few snatches of John's rich inner life outside the formal parameters of his published work, and to gain a bit of insight into where and how King-Cat stories originate. Highly recommended! show less