GRAPHIC NOVELS

Turtlenecks

by Steven Christie
AdHouse. Jun. 2021. 128p. ISBN 9781935233640. pap. $19.95. GRAPHIC NOVELS
COPY ISBN
Christie (Arrowheads) blends gentle satires of the art world and heist movies, in this story of an art student who, on a whim, sells a prized possession (a large artificial flower) as an art object, then regrets his decision. He is unable to get it back; it’s already for sale at a nearby gallery. He gathers a group of art school friends and acquaintances, and they plan a surreal heist to retrieve the flower. Along the way, Christie pokes fun at art talk (“death of the author” is taken literally) and the conventions of heist and superhero movies.
VERDICT Christie has an engaging art style, reminiscent of Milton Glaser’s 1970s work. The satire may be too affectionate for this book to get a wide following. However, given the youth and melodramatic earnestness of the characters, which is treated with a kind humor, this may be a good choice for YA readers for whom neither American superheroes nor the spectrum of manga art styles hold any appeal.
Reviewed by Robert Mixner, Bartholomew Cty. P.L., Columbus, IN , May 21, 2021
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