The Fate of the Artist

My first and very last Eddie Campbell. Mediocre drawings by a grossly immature person, all about himself, with a sense of humour so weak that it didn't even make me vaguely smile, not even once. The only thing I liked was the messy range of typographic styles. But the content ... oh, the horror! It can be summarized in the following statement: "I'm an artist! I have therefore the right to be a lazy self-obsessed ass!". Only loser seems to be anybody who, in the real world, actually has to live with this guy.

Eddie Campbell clearly has an agenda here to take the limitations of traditional graphic novels to task. For the most part he succeeds in all of his arguments: There is no reason for the graphic novel to be limited to comic book reprints, and there is no reason to privilege either graphics or text when they can exist together in so many ways. Using photographs, full-blown illustrations, and doodles scribbled on scraps of paper, this is a lovingly crafted story of the author’s own demise, crushed beneath the weight of artistic baggage. If it sounds a bit melodramatic, it’s true — but Campbell manages to make the melodrama as enjoyable as possible.

Completely charming and really entertaining. Makes you think that Campbell and his (apperently) long-suffering family would be a pleasure to know. (Ignore the blurb on the back cover, it makes it sound more philosophically ambitious than it actually is.)

The first of Campbell's books published by First Second, this was also the first color work I'd seen from the artist. Anyone who has read Campell's Alec books will be in familiar ground here, and for anyone who hasn't read them, imagine a somewhat magical roman á clef with the author poking fun mostly at himself. The fully-painted artwork is a real treat here, especially after years of reading his work in black and white (and often on newsprint). The relationship with First Second seems to have sparked a real creative fire in Campbell, I hope it lasts.

Great read if you are into graphic novels. If you are not this is a good one to start with as it is made up of short sections. Eddie Campbell is a fun person who doesn't take himself too seriously (nor does his family, apparently).