Drawn & Quarterly Showcase: Book Four: Book Four

by Dan Zettwoch, Gabrielle Bell, Martin Cendreda, et al.

A collection of comics drawn by various artists.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 189659798X
• ISBN13: 9781896597980
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Prize Whether You Call It Visual Literature, Sequential Art, or Comics

Drawn and Quarterly presents three, deftly told stories that have nothing more in common than a shared medium. All are stimulating in their own way. The first is by Gabrielle Belle, a subtle tale featuring Anna, an art student who deals with criticism for her life drawings, and Felix, the 12-year-old boy she tutors. In small ways, the two grow closer as the comic progresses, but Anna becomes unexpectedly drawn to Felix's father. It's a deceptively gentle story with complex emotion underlying many panels. I've read through it at least twice, discovering something new and revealing about the characters each time. While Belle goes for the heart, Martin Cendreda goes for the nerves in "Dog Days" where the comic wanders across the lives of a number of characters at the end of summer, including children, dogs, and a man trying to sell his TV. Marlon is a soon-to-be high school graduate and, along with the rest of the town, is speculating on a string of recent murders. Marlon's grandfather, however, insists that the crimes are being committed by an aswang, a vampire-dog common to the Phillipines. The monster's alleged presence dominates the story, as apparent as humidity. "Won't Be Licked! The Great '37 Flood in Louisville" by Dan Zettwoch is a refined and realistic piece of history. It follows a young man's adventures through a flood with the use of his boat, constructed from a refrigerator box. The comic's attention to detail is staggering, documenting the flood's effect on a variety of people literally trying to stay afloat. Monuments are submerged and buildings are trashed, each site documented wonderfully.