Curses (review: 5/5)

I lucked out again. Curses is a delightful collection of comics by Kevin Huizenga. This collection fits in the “slice of life” category, but mixed with the occasional bout of the surreal, and thankfully free from most the angst and ennui that crept in some other comics I’ve read recently. My favorite of the stories was “Jeepers Jacobs,” with a sketch about a golfing theology professor who writes about Hell. A close second is “Not Sleeping Together,” about passing the time with one you love.
I love the artwork—Huizenga draws these clean, spare lines that still feel kind of loose and earthy, somehow. There’s some pretty incredible suburban skylines, even managing to make suburbia look kind of interesting. But the art is only half the battle, and the pictures and the words really work so well together here. I think part of it is Huizenga’s willingness to put a lot of text in his panels when he needs to. There’s no timidity about using a lot of block narration. And the silent panels are able carry their own weight.

I guess the best thing I can say is that I’d want to write comics like this. Well done!

Bonus: A few days ago Kevin Huizenga did a brief interview with Publisher’s Weekly.