Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man

by John Porcellino

Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man is the first in a series of books from La Mano collecting the work of John Porcellino. Over the course of 15 years and 64 issues of his much-loved, self published... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 097652550X
• ISBN13: 9780976525509
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: La Mano
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.3" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Poetry in the form of comics

If you haven't gotten around to John Porcellino's monolithic King Cat Classix, Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man is a condensed version of his best work. It's a bizarre slice of midwestern American life: comics dealing with Porcellino's experience doing just what it sounds like ... pouring chemicals into swamps/waterholes containing mosquito larvae. It begins with his strange encounters with hitchhikers, in twister-torn country, Con Edison structures, getting attacked by wasps, and continues with why he gives up mosquito-abating. The evolution of Porcellino's artwork is also fascinating, starting with scrawled, almost crude, "punk" drawings and evolving to a gorgeous, minimal, clear-line style. Porcellino's landscapes are something to behold in their haikulike simplicity and beauty. The comic is funny, but also touching, pensive and absolutely in love with nature. The writing evokes Hemingway and Kerouac, and I highly recommend this book and his other work to people interested in finding beauty in humble things, the blue-collar American experience, poetry, nature.

Seriously impressive work

Some of the finest and most considered autobiographical comics in an absurdly glutted field. Keep your eye on John Porcellino.

Great book

I loved this book. It was a quick read (great for communtes) with humorous stories to which I related.