I spent some time catching up on comic books from my To Read pile recently. I read Tales of Woodsman Pete with Full Particulars by Lilli Carré, and Hunter & Painter and Baking with Kafka, both by Tom Gauld. I bought the first two in a small bookshop in Bristol a good few years ago. The second is a book plate limited edition that I bought from Gosh! Comics.

Tales of Woodsman Pete is a strange little collection of comic strips by artist Lilli Carré. The Woodsman of the title is a strongly bearded man who lives in a cabin with Philippe, a full bearskin rug who gets dragged outside on walks, and a collection of wall mounted animal trophies. Pete hides his callousness behind a veneer of sensitivity. He is very, very funny in a macabre way. His stories are intercut with tales about Paul Bunyan, the North American folk hero, and his pet ox Babe. Bunyan, for those unfamiliar with him, is a giant. These stories find pathos in his giant existence. He can’t date because when he kisses a woman he drowns her. He can’t sit and watch a sunset because he crushes whatever he sits on. Babe is imagined here as a sassy party ox who just wants Paul to have a good time. I loved Carré’s sense of humour and the stylised line drawings she employs in her comic strips.

Hunter & Painter is a comic strip that first appeared in the Guardian newspaper around 20 years ago. It concerns two neolithic men, the titular Hunter and Painter. Painter has a cave show coming up but is struggling for inspiration. Hunter tries to make suggestions but they’re all centred around some kind of hunt and Painter wants to make something new, something less obvious. The entire community is anticipating Painter’s next masterpiece. What he eventually makes is different and there are consequences. Then one day, while Painter is enduring the consequences, he and Hunter encounter an unexpected, unknown animal. The rest of the story is literally history. I always enjoy Tom Gauld’s work and this slim book was no exception. I like how he takes common experience and adds a twist to it.

Baking with Kafka is a collection of Gauld’s cartoons for the Guardian and the New Yorker. They are vignettes, sometimes told in a single panel, other times in anything up to ten frames within the same dimensions. When I encounter Gauld’s cartoons in the Guardian or on his social media, they often make me laugh out loud. He packs so much that is witty and clever into one small space, and always with something that makes me think about the world differently, as well. I think this collection might become something that I dip in and out of whenever I need some cheering up.

All three were a welcome diversion for my work-fogged brain at the end of a busy week.

Read 03/02/2023