by Chris Ware
First published 2024
Chris Ware closes his facsimile sketchbook experiment with this final collection of notebooks and drawings accumulated over thirty seven years. The artist gathered these materials during bus rides, airport waits, and phone holds, transforming mundane moments into detailed observations. Ware presents himself as an unreliable narrator throughout, admitting he will say anything to win arguments and settle imaginary conflicts. His drawings capture fellow public transit passengers in unflattering detail while revealing his own private frustrations. The collection spans his career as a contributor to the New Yorker, Le Monde, and even the Illinois Cook County Assessor's office. Ware has carefully edited out anything that might cause legal trouble, leaving behind polished doodles and personal reflections. The book includes annotations and an introduction alongside his professional apology. This conclusion to his long delayed series exposes the petty disputes and internal tensions that drive his artistic process.
Genres: art, literary-fiction, memoir, 21st-century, comics, graphic-novels-comics
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Illinois, New Yorker, Le Monde
Period: 30 Years
208 pages · Hardcover · Drawn and Quarterly