Time Zone J

[bayls171]

New Doucet! I figured it was worth creating a thread about this one - people probably have / will have thoughts about it

[bayls171]

For my take, I really enjoyed it. When it first arrived I flipped through it and thought it looked like work, ngl. Very busy and when I flipped through I found it annoying trying to “unfold” (that’s the wrong word but those that own the book know what I’m talking about) the pages to appreciate the flow of the spreads onto each other

But turns out comics are meant to be read! Not flipped through!

When I sat down to read it I found it easily comprehensible and an engaging read. It starts with a bit of a pre-amble to the main story (presumably to get the reader used to the bottom-to-top structure and strange layout) but within about 3 spreads i got the hang of it. And unfolding the pages while reading through it was super easy as I was only doing it when actually going to the next page. It was just a little extra step when flipping pages

I was very gripped by the story too. The development of the relationship and feeling of dread knowing it wasn’t gonna work out. The whirlwind experience of the story really matched the ongoing single-page comic format and the cluttered pages complementing the mix of emotions

I read the complete Dirty Plotte box set last year and loved it, but also gave me a different experience to most of her other readers - I didn’t have to wait 15 years for the next comic!

[dominocorp]

Best book I've read in ages, she's so far beyond everyone else because she just discards all the 'rules' that others (especially those in her generation) hold dear, but she is also never arbitrary or self indulgent. I love that this was a memoir but there's no 'lesson learned' or moral or anything, but also no cynicism...it's like thinking about a past period, remembering something painful, cycling through it in your head and then suddenly dipping out. Incredible stuff, an actual comic for adults but like for real.

[BubblesZine]

May 14, 2022 18:16:26 GMT dominocorp said:

Best book I've read in ages, she's so far beyond everyone else because she just discards all the 'rules' that others (especially those in her generation) hold dear, but she is also never arbitrary or self indulgent. I love that this was a memoir but there's no 'lesson learned' or moral or anything, but also no cynicism...it's like thinking about a past period, remembering something painful, cycling through it in your head and then suddenly dipping out. Incredible stuff, an actual comic for adults but like for real.

wonderfully put, I'm going to go back a read it again. I really loved it.

[manoopuesta]

I loved this book so much. The flow of reading from bottom to top in the way it was drawn works so well. The idea of using the bottom of the page as the panel border and drawing and building on top of that is so great and it sounds like such a natural choice that I was even wondering: why this hasn't been used before? She is amazing.

[whitecomics]

I'm late to this book, but I loved it too. The drawings bear the mark of dense, early Doucet but with clear influence from her collage work and also the sparsity and economy of line that so many great cartoonists accumulate as they get older.

The bottom-to-top reading order is not only natural but progresses nicely, where the early pages with less text have a poetry as your eye bounces around the page and tiny snippets of dialogue read (at least to me) just as well even out of order. By the time the narrative gains steam, many pages in, you're fully acclimated to the flow.

I wonder if this was drawn originally on giant sheets of paper? Not sure I've seen that specified in any interviews. But in any case, the uncut pages are probably a better print implementation of an "infinite scroll" that any other solution I've come across. Adds to the effect of a memory unfolding, a reminiscence progressing organically.