On sale date: October 4, 2014
This is a collection of “existential Americana” (in the vein of Edward Hopper) short comics.
Tim Lane continues his exploration of the Great American Mythological Drama that began with his first book, the critically acclaimed Abandoned Cars. This collection of stories is broadly linked together by the experience of wandering – both literally and figuratively. With compelling verisimilitude, the lives of his characters are depicted by way of rich mixtures of obscure myths and documented facts, dreams and reality, belief and disbelief, throughout a haunted landscape populated by the ghosts of a complex and rich fictional tapestry. You’ll witness a young man’s dubious quest to discover the myth of the protagonist from an obscure vintage comic strip; encounter sociopathic hobos in boxcars and misled young men whose facial pores sprout worms and who throw up babies into gas station toilets; visit modern “Hoovervilles”; and experience the life and death of an undocumented immigrant bookstore doorman, former boxer, and expert hustler.
Praise
“Lane manipulates the form masterfully at every turn, and consuming the rhythmic, open-ended copy and scarcity of conclusion in The Lonesome Go often left me feeling dizzy. But it’s probably nothing that a long road trip wouldn’t fix.” — Dominic Umile - Hyperallergic
“Lane’s writing — as the collection’s two extended prose stories attest — is capable of soaring on its own, but the dark, intense beauty of his drawing elevates his work to a higher plane. … Although containing Whitman-esque multitudes, Lane proves an American original.” — Cliff Froehlich - Saint Louis Post-Dispatch
“Disfigured hobos lurch from panel to panel into fresh horrors. The vintage hairstyles of the ‘40s, nude bodies, a prescription-pill driven freak-out climaxing in much vomit: whatever he draws, Lane’s heavily shadowed style is always a marvel. The nighttime scenes -- which are most of them -- rise from seas of black ink. Like a Tom Waits or a Nick Cave song in graphic form, the book is mournful fun.” — Bryon Kerman - St. Louis Magazine
“The Lonesome Go takes its title from an old folksong about traveling by freight train. That theme of wandering and restlessness plays out over the stories in many different ways whether Lane is telling stories about contemporary homeless encampments, or haunting, surreal stories that take place in strange corners across America.” — Alex Dueben - Comic Book Resources
“At times harsh, but always humane, The Lonesome Go hits you like a smack in the face. It’s a graphic novel in the truest sense, meant to be read as much as viewed. It’s a rich, substantial work by an artist and writer who is using the medium of comics to its fullest potential.” — Harris Smith - comiXology
Specs
- Pages
- 296
- Format
- Paperback / Softback
- Color
- Black and white and color with two fold-outs
- Dimensions
- 8.1" × 10.8"
- ISBN-13
- 9781606997543