For decades, comic creators (and enthusiasts) have tried to shake off the popular notion that "comics" are not a medium but a GENRE: predominantly the kinetic thrills of superheroes and warriors, with a target audience of adolescent men (be it in age or tastes). Even comic shops - which you'd think would be the greatest evangelists of comic diversity - perpetuate this, their stock usually organized by superhero or, bizarrely, publisher (imagine going into Barnes & Noble and having to look for a book in the Random House section). Kemble advocates a future where comics are viewed like movies, books, music or any other medium, and comic shops organized not into Marvel vs. DC vs Indie but by genre: romance, sci-fi, horror, mystery. And he's not just talking the talk, he's walking the walk with his autobiographical graphic novel Two Stories.
Two Stories opens with him in a phase of his life where he hasn't just lost his way, but is grappling with the fact he's not sure where he was trying to go, or even if there's a place worth going. These sections - describing his life beginning to fray, drinking a little too much, seeing formerly happy relationships wither - are illustrated in a black & white style that to me fits Kemble's outlook at the time: while everything is rendered realistically and precisely, nothing is quite clean or perfect, everyone's face is in some combination of shadow or marked with hatching and even the totally innocuous apartment of a young artistic couple takes on an ominous, gloomy impression.
Contrasting these sections is Kemble's recounting of specific childhood episodes, where he attempts to trace his discontent and despondence back to the source (or at least chart its course). These portions are drawn in a totally different way, cutesy and cartoony, and what I found especially striking about these sections is: they don't describe cataclysmic events. No car accident wipes out half the family, no handsy uncles, his home wasn't a crack house and he never once was sold into child labor. Instead, you see an imaginative little boy desperate to express SOMETHING to the people around him, to be in control, to feel needed, and never quite able to fully satisfy any of those wishes. This plays out in small ways, amusing ways, in stories one could share breezily at a cocktail party for an easy laugh - but for the reader, seeing those two points and the line connecting them (Kemble as a child devising rules for a playground activity he's the center of and Kemble years later feeling lost and angry when he can't will his ailing fiance into wellness), they take on a weirdly tragic quality, and you feel bad for this little boy who has no idea where his thoughts and impulses are ultimately going to take him.
This is only a part 1, and Kemble is currently at work on the conclusion. I'm eager to hear the rest of his story, but I'm already very impressed by his courage in telling it. Like the best autobiographies, it feels unvarnished, unsanitized and sometimes unflattering - all of which makes it very engaging and bracing. Highly recommended for mature readers!
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About the author
Obviously a passion project
I originally came across Josh and his work on the big illustration party time podcast, and was able to watch him painstakingly create this book over the process of several years on his current show. It is pretty obvious that the marketability and commercial success of this came second to telling a compelling personal story because it was important for him to tell it. This is a piece of artwork, just as much as anything that would hang in a gallery. The labor in hand-inking this, in a world where things are almost always done digitally, speaks volumes to the priorities of it's author. I'd highly recommend this book, both because it is fascinating, and because you get the opportunity to support an independent artist who's voice is very different than anything else out there.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2021Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I originally came across Josh and his work on the big illustration party time podcast, and was able to watch him painstakingly create this book over the process of several years on his current show. It is pretty obvious that the marketability and commercial success of this came second to telling a compelling personal story because it was important for him to tell it. This is a piece of artwork, just as much as anything that would hang in a gallery. The labor in hand-inking this, in a world where things are almost always done digitally, speaks volumes to the priorities of it's author. I'd highly recommend this book, both because it is fascinating, and because you get the opportunity to support an independent artist who's voice is very different than anything else out there.
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Top reviews from other countries
- Brendan BarnavilleReviewed in Australia on May 10, 2023
Deep and Expressive
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Two Stories is a black-and-white graphic novel that is bravely expressive and genuine. It's a memoir that will stir up childhood memories and create moments of self-reflection. I highly recommend this book!Brendan BarnavilleDeep and Expressive
Reviewed in Australia on May 10, 2023
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