GRAPHIC NOVELS

Gone to Amerikay

by Colleen Doran
McCulloch, Derek (text) & (illus.). Vertigo: DC. 2012. c.144p. ISBN 9781401223519. $24.99. F/MYST
COPY ISBN
Like shamrock leaves, three stories encircle one another in this ghost-tinged mystery yarn about Irish immigrants in New York. In 1870, Clara O'Dwyer reaches "Amerikay" with her young daughter, expecting her husband, Fintan, to follow from Dublin. She finds work as a laundress, but Fintan never appears. In 1960, Johnny McCormack arrives from Galway, aiming for Broadway. Teamed up professionally (and romantically) with his old friend Brian at first, he instead breaks in as a folk singer. In 2010, wealthy entrepreneur Lewis Healy touches down in his private jet to dedicate his New York office and receive a special present from his wife, Sophie: the story behind a song that inspired his success. The song and the missing Fintan link all three stories.
VERDICT Showing imperfect people passing a precious legacy amid tragedy, McCullough (Stagger Lee) reveals a fine ear for dialog and doesn't skimp on the harsh realities of immigration and urban life, 1870s or 1960s. The heroic-realist color art of Doran (Mangaman; A Distant Soil) lends sweeping beauty. Recommended for those drawn to historical and literary graphic novels, high school and up owing to sexual situations and salty language.
Reviewed by Martha Cornog , Jul 01, 2012
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