Percy Gloom

Cathy Malksian, Percy Gloom (Fantagraphics, 2007) Percy Gloom is a lovely little (well, big actually) book that is, at its heart, about the dangers of oversheltering. Malkasian takes the usual formula and expands it, creating an entire society whose watchword is caution. (The product warnings in Malkasian's world look quite similar to our own. Not coincidence, this.) Everywhere in this world, we see the consequences of rampant paranoia spiraled out of control, including (but certainly not limited to) an overly competitive cautionary writer who injures himself in spectacular ways on the job so as to gain social status. (His project when we meet him: rigging up a contraption to drop an entire set of encyclopedias on his head.) From this premise, all Malkasian had to do was think a bit about the logical consequences of this insanity, and the end product is Percy Gloom. I rather hesitate to use the term "cautionary tale", but there's certainly an undercurrent of "we're headed this way, and we should take a look at it" beneath this enchanting, if depressing, piece of work. Highly recommended. ****

Great book, unlike anything out there. Looking forward to more work from this artist.

I'm not sure I can describe what a beautiful and thoughtful book 'Percy Gloom' is. Teetering between sinister and transcendental, the story feels so genuine and heartfelt, never smug or cynical, a sin I feel is easily committed in writing such a fantastic, surreal story. Percy is a beautifully realized character, neurotic but ever so polite and meek. Informed that he may not use a goat's water fountain to wash out his mouth, Percy begs, pouting: "Oh mercy - mercy please! A very infected foot was just placed forcefully into my mouth!" When Percy's friend Bernard asks the hungry Percy if he likes hot-dogs, Percy responds that "Yes. They are a very intelligent species, flapping their tongues to expel heat." This is not a novel of eccentricity for eccentricity's sake. Malkasian has created a strong plot containing running, subtle themes concerning mortality, regret, and self-discovery. This is certainly a novel that one will enjoy reading again and again, whereas most graphic novels I buy - often simpler and less 'meaty' - usually only interest me the first time around. Like Sparkwatson commented, I truly hope this is not the last of Percy Gloom. And check out the Percy Gloom website to hear the goat song!

Percy Gloom lives in an odd and lovely and very unique world, where the aged shrink away to nothingness and mountains get made by 'just add water' and wise goats sing opera. Part Kafka part Jonathan Swift part nightmare, the art is gorgeous. I was entranced enough after reading this (loaned to me by a friend) I immediately came here to see what else I could get by this author. Alas, very little it seems. A quick web search shows she's directed children's movies. The ending was just beautiful. Here's hoping this becomes a series.