Synopses & Reviews
This sophomore graphic novel from Noah Van Sciver may seem like a left turn from his critically acclaimed debut graphic novel biography of Abraham Lincoln (), yet upon closer reflection, it showcases Van Sciver's preoccupation with pathos and the human condition. depicts four days in the life of a twenty-eight-year-old suburbanite named Joe, who works at a pizzeria to support his girlfriend Nicole and their infant child--and then Nicole invites her troubled mother to move into their two-bedroom apartment until she lands on her feet again. Joe reacts by retreating into alcohol: he wants out, and he's angry. He's in a position to act rashly--and he does.
Review
"... is a wiry thicket of black-and-white imagery both feverish and mesmerizing in its intensity." The Quietus
Review
"Noah Van Sciver is a cartographer of his generation... Van Sciver's style seems uniquely suited to the topic of today's youngsters, admittedly bearing the influence of the Second Wave underground artists like Daniel Clowes and Peter Bagge -- with kind of visual raggedness driving home the narrative points -- but taking that influence in fresh directions." John Wenzel The Denver Post
Review
"...Van Sciver... weav[es] a fictional tale with plenty of basis in reality for many young people lacking both the financial clout for higher education and the job opportunities needed to carve out a small slice of the American Dream that their parents and grandparents were able to grab." Paul Buhle The Comics Journal
Review
"... is part of the long tradition of the balladry of brutality. It sings the song of the sink hole caused by a life lived in response to expectations it could never fulfill. It's the chant you hear in the places people gather to drown out their sorrows, it echoes in the alley behind the neighbor's house whom you've never met, it rings in your own head from time to time, that is, if you are sensitive to it. ... For some reason I cannot shake from my mind. I want to shove it into the hands of everyone I know..." Rob Clough High-Low
Review
" is another excellent comic from Noah Van Sciver but what truly sets it apart is how it unflinchingly tells its story in a way that is raw and without discretion. It's about a reality that we want to ignore but can't; most comics are the world that the creator sees in their head but is the world that Van Sciver can't ignore and he presents it in all of its raw and ugly elegance." Daniel Elkin Comics Bulletin
Review
"...[T]he plotting of this book is airtight. What seem to be atmospheric or even entirely extraneous details and characters set up the near-apocalyptic final image, one that's so huge that it's ridiculous and even hilarious. Building up to that ending is some of Van Sciver's finest character work." Michael C. Lorah Comic Book Resources
Review
"The simple black and white panels tell the story in a direct, naturalistic way that doesn't get in the way of the narrative but also repays a re-read, revealing plenty of subtle detail. ... Van Sciver has produced an accomplished work here, and he's clearly a promising talent." Pete Redrup
Synopsis
In
Synopsis
2015 Ignatz Award Nominee: Outstanding Artist (Noah Van Sciver), Outstanding Graphic Novel
About the Author
Noah Van Sciver was born in 1984 and raised in New Jersey. He first came to comic readers' attention with his comic book series Blammo, which earned him an Ignatz nomination in 2010. He currently lives in Denver, CO.