Wilson.... finally!

Well, true to their word, to help make amends for my disastrous day last Monday, those good people at Gosh! did indeed send me a complimentary signed copy of the new Dan Clowes graphic novel 'Wilson' (as well as a few gift vouchers too). So although I never got to meet the man, I did at least get my personalised copy of the new book. Thanks Gosh!

I have to say that it was worth the six year wait for this new Clowes book. It is beautifully done, and right up there with some of his very best work. The book has been designed a bit like a classic old annual from when you were a kid.... it's the same size, and has the same kind of feel. At first flick, even the content looks like an old annual too, as it appears to be full of one page stories. Clowes has cleverly changed his style of art on each page too, to give the impression of completely unrelated strips. Indeed, initially the strips even read as 'one-pagers', as we lurch from one pun to the next. But as you read on, the funny one-liners start to dry up a little, and it all starts to get a little more serious. At this point all the previous pages rather cleverly start to entwine and tell the story of Wilson.

waddya mean you really thought my name was Piley???!

Wilson is a complex character, he really seems to believe that he is a happy-go-lucky people person, and is oblivious to the fact that he isn't.... This is despite his continual disastrous attempts at striking up conversation and small talk with strangers, who he always seems to end up offending. He's not a particularly likeable character, he's a loner, and rather too opinionated for his own good. As the story moves on you dig deeper and deeper, finding out more and more about him and what makes him tick. And despite not liking him very much, there are moments when your heart aches for the man... a scene where he is desperately trying to strike up a relationship via a webcam with the grandson he never knew he had is heart wrenching... the last panel of that page still haunts me!

But characterisation is where Clowes is better than just about anyone else in the game... and his ability to create complicated, dysfunctional, and above all, believable individuals of such incredible depth remains impressive. As this mans world twists, turns and unravels, you are exposed to yet more of his layers. I almost felt like his psychoanalyst by the end of it!

I don't want to give any of the story away (which makes reviewing it kind of tricky!), but safe to say it's touching, disturbing, riveting, intelligent, laugh-out-loud funny and compulsive reading. The quality of the story is even matched by the book itself - It's beautifully designed, and I don't think I've ever seen such luxurious, thick paper stock used in a book like this before.

If you've enjoyed Clowes classics such as David Boring and Ghost World, then you are in for a treat with this. If you've never read any of his titles before, then Wilson is the perfect introduction to his world.


Piley