The Book of Leviathan
By Peter Blegvad
Published by The Overlook Press
Here's a thick volume of strips that made it on to some "Best of 2001" lists, but that escaped my attention until I found it at the growing and increasingly diverse graphic novel section at the Albany, New York Borders store.
The Book of the Leviathan defies easy description, despite being heavily influenced by and evocative of some of the most important and inspired comics of the past 100 years, including Krazy Kat, Calvin and Hobbes, Maakies and ACME Novelty Library.
Here's a baby boy and his cat/spirit guide, now railing against the stifling nature of childhood, now going on a surreal journey beyond the panel borders of the strip, now mocking (or confirming?) pseudo-intellectual dissections of Comics Theory as proposed and promoted by Scott McCloud. In each page, the universe is reborn anew, a fresh chance for Blegvad to twist the conventions of the medium, to experiment with form, to laugh, to weep. A fresh universe on every page, one as subject to your interpretation and perception as much as it is to Blegvad's.
Some pages are more brilliant than others, although there is genius at every turn. "Two Views of Leviathan Taking His First Step" is a great example of the way Blegvad easily illuminates the struggle against maturity. The adult world, which begins with a step, is a sewer full of garbage and stinking waste, while Levi blissfully, trustfully steps away from a golden world of milk and honey and butterflies and contented kitty cats. This two-panel strip also highlights the great work Blegvad contrasting the universe through colour. Levi's illusion-packed fantasy world is in reassuring, beautiful colours, while the adult world is dank, black and white, grim.
Colour and design are a large part of the appeal of this book. Anyone who's been impressed by the recent design work of Chip Kidd will love Blegvad's use of clip art, and magnified, re-contextualized imagery; additionally, the overall production values of this hardcover will rethink the standards you usually hold strip collections to. This is, frankly, exactly how it should be done.
Those are some big expectations I set you up for in my second paragraph above, and I meant to set the bar as high as possible. The Book of Leviathan is a singular work of genius in the way of the strips that I invoked. Blegvad manages to convey a unique creative voice while recalling the mannered formalism of Tony Millionaire, the surreal inventivness of George Herriman, the base insights of Bill Watterson and the multi-dimensional methodology of Chris Ware. As you would imagine from such a wide range of influences, this is a work of genius, sometimes frantic, sometimes startlingly quiet, always astonishing to look at and take in and sink into.
I know I'm a little late to this party, as this book has been out for over a year. But the first time I saw it was just this past weekend, so I know it's out there waiting for you to discover it as well. The Book of the Leviathan is an important chapter in the history of comics, and one you shouldn't let get by you. Grade: 5/5