JIMMY CORRIGAN is one of the most profound works the comics medium has ever produced. A masterful integration of design, art, writing, pacing, and scope, Chris Ware's massive character study is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the medium.
Throughout it's pages, JIMMY CORRIGAN tours us through three generations of the Corrigan Men, studying how the emotional sins and scars of the father are irrevocably passed down to the son. And while not always a pleasant place to visit, Ware imbibes Jimmy with a (naïve, arguably) hope that perseveres through his physical and emotional trials. Ware weaves a cold detachment with an absolutely wrenching purge of rage and regret seamlessly.
This book is as gorgeous to read as it is to look at. Even if, as some detractors have said, Ware enjoys forcing his characters to wallow in sadness (which I disagree with, but hey, some people are just jackasses), JIMMY CORRIGAN stands on its own as an art object and design artifact. Steeped in nostalgia and a precise craft all-to-rare on the comics page these days, Ware's visual skills are to die for. JIMMY CORRIGAN is a complex and wondrous marvel to lose yourself in.
Matt Fraction splits his time between motion graphics and design house MK12, writing comics, and reading comics. He is the author of the graphic novels The Annotated Mantooth and Last of the Independents, both available from AiT/Planet Lar. He can be found on the web at mattfraction.com. His wife is hot.
