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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
The art in this book seemed almost too hasty in its execution, but was nevertheless gripping. I think the childish nature of the art provided an interesting contrast to the adult nature of the story and may have been borderline disconcerting. I also found it interesting that the book meandered away from it's titular character as much as it did, though given that Gus was one of the more two dimensional characters I've ever read I can't blame Blain for making that choice. Overall I'd say that this book came off as childish and vulgar, but only vulgar for the sake of being vulgar. For all its talk of sensitive cowboys and sweeping romance, there was really none to be found within.
Now, let it be known, I am the biggest fan of French cartooning and Chris Blain is a perfect example of all the things I love about the French - movement, perfectly used brush strokes, cartoony but charming beautiful characters and settings and bold colors. Gus and his gang is not a lot about Gus, per se, but rather, focuses on his gang’s exploits robbing banks and picking up chicks (or not so successfully picking up chicks) in the Wild West. These characters are charming tramps, oafs who constantly blunder most aspects of their lives EXCEPT being good at being outlaws. The highlight of this book, for me, was the character Clem and his romances with two very different but equally badass, interesting Western women.
The book should've been called Clem and his gang, since Gus disappears halfway through the book and never comes back. It's a collection of short stories, all about a gang of train robbers, dealing mostly with their desire to meet beautiful women. Clem's the only of the trio who's married, so of course, he also winds up with the torrid affair while the others meet women they can't stand. Blain does some fun stuff - Clem's guilt, manifested as a giant cyclops whose eye shines light on Clem always, is great. The characters are well crafted, and the art is scratchy and rough, but very lively and engaging. Yet I still felt somewhat let down by the book - it never seemed to find a coherent focus, just following the characters from one adventure to the next, and then, only slightly over halfway through, the trio of outlaws part ways and it becomes Clem's book entirely. Then, rather than being robbing trains or banks, or about meeting girls, it's about Clem and his mistress or about Clem and his family moving to San Francisco. The chapters are all good, but they don't add up to a whole. I'm curious how this was originally published in France and if it was intended to be a full-length book.
I agree with Mare -- SO GOOD! His style reminds me of Joann Sfarr's. Again, SO GOOD!
When I first read Gus ~15 years ago I thought it was one of the most amazing graphic novels I’ve ever read. Revisiting it, I’m reminded why it’s actually my absolute favorite. An on-the-face funny book about a gang of outlaws, the story deepens and deepens to convey the stark fact that love, sex and desire lay at the very root of what drives all men and women around the world. Finishing it, I’m filled with an indescribable angst at the pit of my stomach, as I’ve just relived (through the characters) some of the most wonderful as well as painful moments I’ve ever gone through. Hilarious, and amazingly well drawn, it’s a book for anyone who has deeply felt love, loss or longing in their life.
I don't know if it's the French humor or the heavy use of sexual references, but man this just felt off putting. Not for me.