Two Books by Nate Powell
When I read that Any Empire
was Nate Powell follow up to Swallow Me Whole
, I assumed both books were related and ordered both of them. The only relation between the two is that they are set in the fictional (?) Southern US town of Wormwood and trace the development of its young characters. Swallow Me Whole is by far the more abstract one. Make no mistake, these are two very writerly graphic novels, not very readerly at all. Trying to divine more meaning from them after the first couple of passes gave me a headache, so I was content to let my teacher to do all the explaining for Any Empire.
I liked Any Empire better, possibly because it was more accessible and familiar with its 80s setting. Part One concerns little neighbourhood boys, Lee and Purdy, who have an odd yet typical friendship with other neighbourhood boys. They are all obsessed with playing army, comics and establishing a pecking order. Sarah, the main female character, overlaps with this gang of boys when she discovers that someone is mysteriously killing turtles. Part Two catches up with the three of them as young adults and the direct impact their childhood has had on each of them.
Rather than discuss the plot - it would be too easy to give away the book - it's easier to look at some of the themes and motifs that run throughout. Boxes and containers are repeated constantly, and another motif becomes apparent after the events in Part Two. There are pushes and pulls between large open spaces that intersect with fantasy and reality. Time is rather fluid. Purdy is an interesting character who goes from one pecking order to another when he joins the army. There are also some deep allusions to fascism that might be easy to miss. The pervasive theme of militarism as part of everyday life is what the book is ultimately asking along what the the effect and meaning of living in such a culture is. There's a neat reference to a 1939 anti-war cartoon that gets changed up a little in the book.
While Any Empire is a quick read and uses text sparingly, that doesn't mean it is an easy read. The ending is a complete puzzler at first. The best that Alex could explain it as what happens when when the only outcome is the worst possible outcome, the last possibility for a hopeful outcome is to diverge into fantasy, which the characters often did as children. As such, I found the ending lacking in closure and unsatisfying. It could be an effect of reading too much work with ambiguous or abrupt endings as of late. The ending becomes more clear and realistic once one realizes that a clue dropped twice in the book is a real thing - which makes it even more uncomfortable.
was Nate Powell follow up to Swallow Me Whole
, I assumed both books were related and ordered both of them. The only relation between the two is that they are set in the fictional (?) Southern US town of Wormwood and trace the development of its young characters. Swallow Me Whole is by far the more abstract one. Make no mistake, these are two very writerly graphic novels, not very readerly at all. Trying to divine more meaning from them after the first couple of passes gave me a headache, so I was content to let my teacher to do all the explaining for Any Empire.
I liked Any Empire better, possibly because it was more accessible and familiar with its 80s setting. Part One concerns little neighbourhood boys, Lee and Purdy, who have an odd yet typical friendship with other neighbourhood boys. They are all obsessed with playing army, comics and establishing a pecking order. Sarah, the main female character, overlaps with this gang of boys when she discovers that someone is mysteriously killing turtles. Part Two catches up with the three of them as young adults and the direct impact their childhood has had on each of them.
Rather than discuss the plot - it would be too easy to give away the book - it's easier to look at some of the themes and motifs that run throughout. Boxes and containers are repeated constantly, and another motif becomes apparent after the events in Part Two. There are pushes and pulls between large open spaces that intersect with fantasy and reality. Time is rather fluid. Purdy is an interesting character who goes from one pecking order to another when he joins the army. There are also some deep allusions to fascism that might be easy to miss. The pervasive theme of militarism as part of everyday life is what the book is ultimately asking along what the the effect and meaning of living in such a culture is. There's a neat reference to a 1939 anti-war cartoon that gets changed up a little in the book.
While Any Empire is a quick read and uses text sparingly, that doesn't mean it is an easy read. The ending is a complete puzzler at first. The best that Alex could explain it as what happens when when the only outcome is the worst possible outcome, the last possibility for a hopeful outcome is to diverge into fantasy, which the characters often did as children. As such, I found the ending lacking in closure and unsatisfying. It could be an effect of reading too much work with ambiguous or abrupt endings as of late. The ending becomes more clear and realistic once one realizes that a clue dropped twice in the book is a real thing - which makes it even more uncomfortable.