Big Clay Pot

Big Clay Pot, set in 200 B.C.E., is a lovely little story that captures a slice of two lives and presents them cleanly, artfully and without adornment. The art is deceptively simple, but Scott Mills certainly has packed Big Clay Pot with amazing depth and expression. The story is broken into brief vignettes, many of which are whimsical, a few of which are poignant, and one or two of which are downright sad. Kokoro is wizened and old, his face a shapeless mass like the eponymous pot. Sun Kim is young, appealing and cute, but thankfully not at all like the preadolescent sex kittens that dominate Japan's popular manga style of art. Big Clay Pot is an intelligent gem of a tale.

In a world where shiny art and shiny costumes are the norm, its a refreshing change of pace to find a graphic novel like this. A quick read, this is a wonderfully heartfelt story of untraditional love and human relationships. I hesitate to call it a 'coming-of-age story' because that would seem to denigrate just how beautiful this story really is. The characters are real and the minimalist brush lines are expertly placed to convey the perfect emotions without the clutter of unnecessary crosshatching or gawdy computer coloring. I read Big Clay Pot and find myself relaxing from the sometimes overwhelming chaos of daily life. Easliy one of the best things I've read in a while.