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A review by otterno11
Disquiet by Noah Van Sciver
4.0
Over the past few months, I’ve kind of been on a bit of a Noah Van Sciver kick. After coming across his work for the first time in an issue of the Now Comics anthology, I was so impressed I quickly put in a request in for pretty much his entire opus for the local library system. It has been interesting seeing how Van Sciver’s work has evolved over the years, as well as his range, tackling humor, absurdism, realism, despair, from touching memoir to well researched historical pieces to punks versus lizards. This is especially the case with his collected short stories in Youth is Wasted and Disquiet.
Both of these works consist of various short comic vignettes and artwork featuring some of Van Sciver’s major themes. His scratchy but detailed artwork suits the often gritty subject matter he works with, in particular, slice of life tales of aimless, impoverished young men working dead end jobs with little going for them, straddling the precarious line between sympathetic and repugnant. Youth is Wasted especially focuses on these hard luck stories with Abby’s Road, Because I Have To, Expectations, and 1999. While compelling in their depictions of these “losers,” capturing so well their attitudes and styles, they occasionally feel a bit aimless, anticlimactic. Still, the hints of the weird and surreal these stories occasionally have appeal to me as well.
In Disquiet, I felt he continued these same themes, but the stories felt slightly tighter, more satisfying, as in The Lizard Laughed. His eerie fairy tale work The Cows Head also really enchanted me, hearkening so well to the old, dark weirdness of folklore. I also really appreciate the growing use of color in his work here. In any case, in both works I’m really impressed by the breadth of the ideas he takes on, his sense of humor, and eye for how people interact.
Both of these works consist of various short comic vignettes and artwork featuring some of Van Sciver’s major themes. His scratchy but detailed artwork suits the often gritty subject matter he works with, in particular, slice of life tales of aimless, impoverished young men working dead end jobs with little going for them, straddling the precarious line between sympathetic and repugnant. Youth is Wasted especially focuses on these hard luck stories with Abby’s Road, Because I Have To, Expectations, and 1999. While compelling in their depictions of these “losers,” capturing so well their attitudes and styles, they occasionally feel a bit aimless, anticlimactic. Still, the hints of the weird and surreal these stories occasionally have appeal to me as well.
In Disquiet, I felt he continued these same themes, but the stories felt slightly tighter, more satisfying, as in The Lizard Laughed. His eerie fairy tale work The Cows Head also really enchanted me, hearkening so well to the old, dark weirdness of folklore. I also really appreciate the growing use of color in his work here. In any case, in both works I’m really impressed by the breadth of the ideas he takes on, his sense of humor, and eye for how people interact.