The Last Book I Read

In my humble estimation, the cartoonist who goes only by the name of Seth is the most brilliant artist working in graphic novels today. His work is so heartwarming, and evocative of places and times that are lodged somewhere back in the dim recesses of my unconscious (whether I've experienced them directly or not), that his works read almost like the recollections of some half-remembered dream. George Sprott 1894-1975, his latest, compiling strips that originally appeared in the New York Times Magazine, is an exquisite example of this. It provides what can only be called a multi-faceted obituary for a deceased local TV personality, whose best days are well behind him, but which continued to define his life in virtually every way right up to the end. I don't mean that George just relives past glories, because he is haunted by his mistakes as well, and as he ages and approaches the end of his life, he seems to have lost the capacity to understand in any meaningful way how all of the things he did came together to define him. So, the review of his life and career is marked by numerous contradictions and diverse reactions, from both himself and those who knew him. Perhaps that is the nature of every life, or anyway, should be acknowledged as the most honest way to evaluate virtually any person; and Seth's accomplishment here is to make it seem a reasonable and fair if not an ultimately positive reflection on George. Part of Seth's ability to create such an complex impression is due to the images he creates to visually define the contexts for George's life. These are places that depict, for example, a small Ontario city or the cold Arctic north exactly as I'd have imagined them, but also portray a powerful sense of more narrowly defined spaces (homes, offices, bars, studios, etc.) that could and do exist anywhere. The sense of identification with these settings goes a long way towards building the sense of identification with the characters, and that is a big part of the author's ability to effectively blend the literary and visual qualities of his story. This is highly recommended, as is anything you can find by Seth (especially Clyde Fans or It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken).