It’s difficult to describe ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria For the End Times. It’s dark and violent and depressing. But also hopeful. It’s about the end of days and what comes after that. It’s about how humanity can reach their darkest point and sometimes stay just as ugly and hateful as they’ve always been, that no matter how many chances they’re been given they’ll still prefer a fist over an open hand.
It’s also about a girl and her cat. And it’s lovely.
Andrew MacLean (Head Lopper, Gods Hates Astronauts) presents his first full-length graphic novel. His artwork in this book has been described by Mike Oeming as “a mixture of Nausicca and Adventure Time,” and I agree completely. (Preview pages are at the end of this review, and Andrew has posted several images on his tumblr page here.) The style is stylized, yet extremely dynamic. He can fill a page with intricate details, or suggest motion and suspense with beautiful simplicity; a few slashed lines will take in an entire battle, or a smile. In the middle of disappointment or rage Aria looks harsh and ugly, but softens when she takes in the few nice things a world like this has left.
You know, for an apocalypse…it ain’t all bad.
His writing is also deceptively simple, told from her point of view in either a hasty collection of words as she runs for her life, or a long string of Italian as she sings opera to her cat.
Jelly Beans, by the way, is perfect. Anyone who’s ever loved a cat will adore him.
I came to this book totally unspoiled; I had no idea what to expect. And what I got was probably one of the harshest, sweetest books I’ve read all year. I highly recommend it, it’s absolutely worth the read.
ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria For the End Times will be published on May 20, 2015, and is available to pre-order from Dark Horse Comics right now.
