Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Adrian Tomine, Ellerbisms, Fujimura Takiyuki, Gen Manga, Harvey Pekar, KickStarter, Marc Ellerby, Sorako
One of the last great philosophers of the 20th century said ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t slow down, you might miss it.’ Mr Bueller had many words of wisdom for us, but those are the ones that stick with me, especially in regard to a certain stripe of comics. The idea of life examined being life understood, of the minutiae being of vital importance and equal beauty to the major events in life, is one that lies at the heart of some of the best comics of the last few decades. Eddie Campbell’s exploration of society, Marc Ellerby’s blisteringly honest diaries, Ellerbisms, and the work of Harvey Pekar and Adrian Tomine all stand as extraordinary stories about ordinary things. The world is an incredible place, your life is unique by simple dint of it being yours. These stories celebrate that. As does Sorako.
Written and drawn by Fujimura Takiyuki, Sorako is the story of a twentysomething woman who has a dog, occasionally applies for jobs and makes her way through her life the same way everyone does; a step at a time. Her world is ordinary because it’s her’s and she lives there every day. Her world is extraordinary because she’s so used to it that she can’t see the beauty we, as the reader, can. This is like going to a different town, or returning to somewhere you used to live after a long time away. It’s a beautiful set of stories about a beautifully normal, average life. The sort we all have and the sort we all sometimes need to appreciate more.
Now, Gen Manga, the publishers, are running a KickStarter to raise money for a print edition of the book. As is always the case with KickStarters, there’s some great extra rewards you get for backing the book and Takiyuki’s elegant, expansive style will look beautiful on the printed page. So, if you fancy walking a few pages in someone else’s shoes, sign on with Sorako, and make a donation at the link below:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1450575711/sorako-a-manga-about-nothing?ref=live
Alasdair Stuart
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[...] -I was also pointed at a very interesting looking KickStarter campaign for Sorako. Written and drawn by Fujimura Takiyuki, it’s a subtle, slice of life series that’s very comparable to the work of creators like Eddie Campbell and Marc Ellerby. My piece about the campaign is here. [...]
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