I review Beasts, Lynda Barry’s Best American Comics, and a big art book called “Signs of the Apocalypse/Rapture” in this week’s Chicago Reader. The first line of the review was supposed to be:
“For the latest Best American Comics anthology, guest editor Lynda Barry has selected works that are richly literary, deeply felt, and fucking boring.”
Something got lost in the editing process, alas. It’s still pretty mean, though, so I guess I can’t complain.
On the other hand, I liked Beasts a lot.
How do you like Barry’s own work? I’m a fan.
Damn, how could the editor not see how they messed up your rhythm, there? They took a great opening sentence and destroyed it.
They made it ” … boring as droopy green shit,” and that doesn’t even make sense.
Yeah, it was kind of painful. Such is freelancing, though.
Tom, I don’t much like Barry’s stuff. I haven’t read a ton of it, though; it’s possible I’d be more enthusiastic with greater exposure.
I’m guessing that poignant, sensitive and whimsical aren’t your thing.
It kind of depends. Arnold Lobel is whimsical (as is A.A. Milne, for that matter) and I like them a lot. Poignant and sensitive are tricky…but I can certainly like tear-jerkers of various sorts (Nana, for example)….