Sweaterweather

First Second

Feb 19, 2016 Issue # 56 - Best of 2015 - Father John Misty and Wolf Alice By Zach Hollwedel

Sara Varon's Sweaterweather is an endearing collection of 18 of the cartoonist's short stories, some dating back to 2003. Her characters inhabit a magical world where animals grow and shrink at will, a cat can fly just by planting pigeon wings, and rabbits are landlords. People live in perfect harmony with animals-as roommates and friends, rather than owners and pets-in the tranquil tales, which feature just as many culinary canines as artistic turtles. The frequently wordless stories represent exercises in Varon's training (a 26-panel comic where each frame signifies a letter of the alphabet, for example), and one can chart the evolution of her artistic style over the 126-page book. If the stories lack substance, they make up for it with halcyon sweetness and imagination too often absent from modern comics. (www.firstsecondbooks.com)

Author rating: 6.5/10