jobnik! and APE

Wow, it's been a rough week. Did I really miss TWO days of posting? Well, you'll have to forgive me, or else beat my ass down at APE tomorrow when you see me.

*****

Several people I'm looking forward to seeing tomorrow. One is Miriam Libicki, writer and artist of jobnik!, which I've discussed before.

Issue #4 came across my eyes recently, and I think it's the best of the series so far.

Libicki's facial expressions are really becoming a hallmark of her artwork. They lend a subtext to every scene, and tell a lot about not just her characters and their "acting" throughout the book, but also about her perspective on everything; she draws herself with bags under her eyes almost constantly, weary and nervous and self-doubting and tired. Nobody else seems to get them; relative to her, they're all a very natural, comfortable part of their own environment. It seems to suggest her unique position as an outsider, an American amidst the "real" Israelis.

Another thing Miriam's really good at is making me uncomfortable. This issue contains maybe the most uncomfortable sex scene I've ever read. It's only two pages long and not too graphic, but the awkwardness of it and the relationship it builds between the two characters - again, largely through facial expression - is really striking.

The issue ends with a nice bit of cliffhanger narration - we're not so "on the edge of our seats" that the wait for issue #5 is an irritant, but we are curious and interested. I'm looking forward to where the story continues...

*****

So, who should I be looking for tomorrow? I've got no idea what to expect, but I'm pretty damned excited.

See you at APE, my friends, or at the Aftermath. Either way, it's gonna be a fun fucking weekend.