Customer Reviews

Map of My Heart

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Never was the phrase "deceptive simplicity" so apropos as in the pages of John Porcellino's "Map of My Heart." Collecting issues 51-61 of his long-running minicomic "King-Cat Comics," this volume shows us his life during the past few years, from marriage & divorce to slices of everyday life to a continuing study of Zen, all rendered in a beautifully simple & clear style that's certainly minimalist, but also quite rich. He's distilled his art into a few precisely chosen lines, depicting both the physical world & his emotional life with directness, honesty, humor, and an almost glowing, melancholy purity. It's no accident that one of his previous works is a graphic novel adaptation of "Walden" for younger readers -- he obviously shares Thoreau's bareboned, shrewd but compassionate aesthetic.

While this is an excellent introduction to Porcellino's work, longtime fans may find it a bit mellower than it used to be, when he was a punk-influenced young man, and his life was more raw & confused. All to the good, as I wouldn't expect anyone to be the same at 20 & 40! When reading his collected work, it's fascinating to watch him grow & change over the years -- his first issue of "King-Cat Comics" came out in 1989, and a lot has happened to him between then & now.

Autobiographical comics are sometimes dismissed as being all the same, since there are so many of them; but to my mind, Porcellino stands out as an original, with something valuable & poignant to offer. I'm eagerly awaiting his next collection -- highly recommended!