Beverly

On the first page, Drnsa began to paint a world of white middle class suburban mundanity and quiet desperation. Having turned all the pages, I can verify that by the last one, the paint was indeed dry.

Drnaso's collection is a wonderful blend of stories that start at the mundane and totally suckerpunch you with the heartbreaking agony of life. The artistic style is unique but certainly took some getting used to (it sorta felt like reading The Sims at first) but its strength is in the way that communication is centered in the work and elements of comedy that can come from a minimal more dead-pan feel, ala Jason.

A series of connected stories depicting the bleak and sometimes disturbing lives of several people in the suburbs of Chicago. Sexual dysfunction, teen drinking and pregnancy, a false rape report and subsequent racist vitriol, and some general hateful behavior all feature prominently. Compelling, but not uplifting.

I have no idea why I liked this. Maybe because it's weird in a way I haven't seen weird done often enough. Like how weird normal is. How emotionally interesting it can be.

Really liked this. Not all that FUN, but some of the best, realistic dialogue I've read in a while.

I don't know who Beverly is, I have no idea how the stories were connected but I loved the style of drawing and closeup/far away expressions of character.

Not my cup of tea. The art is somewhat monotone, low-contrast, and flat; the characters aren't very expressive. The stories are linked, but loosely.