10.30.2007

SPX '07 Gems: "The Aviary"

At the first SPX I attended, back in '02, one the first things I came across, one of the first purchases I made, was a couple of Jamie Tanner's minicomics. Something about the art and the design — the dimensions, the paper, the tipped-on color illustration grabbed me. And once I read them, the odd story, the quirky pacing, the the expressive linework held me. For a couple shows after, I sought out his table and picked up a few more. But, as these things go, I kind of lost track of his work over the years.

So I jumped at the collection of his work, The Aviary, at the Adhouse table this year. Adhouse just produces nice objects — always a good sense of design; this one, simple, a nice uncoated stock for the cover, but a hefty, well-proportioned book. Plus, I wanted to see what Jamie's been up to.

Turns out, a lot. Those individual comics I picked up are all part of a broader, overarching story. I noticed certain recurring characters and references in the minis, but had no idea that they would all connect to the extent they do. I'm a sucker for stories that are as much about how it comes together as they are about the tale itself, and this turns out to be that kind of storytelling.

In a major cop-out, I'm going to say that The Aviary really defies easy categorization. They are (sometimes maddeningly) oblique tales of desire, loss, love, pain, boxing, betrayal, talking animals — and The Quiet Bird Man. There's an undeniable Victorian sensibility, in the graphic, cross-hatched art, also in the language and pacing. And it's definitely an indie comic. But beyond all that, there's a truly personal vision at work, and also a respect for the reader.

I'm happy that Jamie's work has been recognized and collected. And that, though I thought I knew what I was getting into, there were still plenty of pleasant surprises to be found in the book.

Note: In scanning the minicomics to show the pages above (there was no way I'm cracking the spine on that book), I found that some of the pages and panels were redrawn for the collection. The ones shown are the same in the book, but with much higher production quality.