BEST OF THE YEAR NODS FROM THE GLOBE & MAILL, AMAZON.
COM, QUILL & QUIRE The Toronto cartoonist's first full-length graphic novel follows a clutch of misfit ants, trying to maintain some semblance of civilization in the shadow of war.
Psychedelically gorgeous, uncomfortably funny.
-Sean Rogers, Globe & Mail Best Books of 2014The debut graphic novel from a dazzling newcomer with a singular, idiosyncratic style In the few short years since he began his pamphlet-size comic book series Lose, Michael De Forge has announced himself as an important new voice in alternative comics.
His brash, confident, undulating artwork sent a shock wave through the comics world for its unique, fully formed aesthetic.
From its opening pages, Ant Colony immerses the reader in a world that is darkly existential, with false prophets, unjust wars, and corrupt police officers, as it follows the denizens of a black ant colony under attack from the nearby red ants.
On the surface, it's the story of this war, the destruction of a civilization, and the ants' all too familiar desire to rebuild.
Underneath, though, Ant Colony plumbs the deepest human concerns-loneliness, faith, love, apathy, and more.
All of this is done with humor and sensitivity, exposing a world where spiders can wreak unimaginable amounts of havoc with a single gnash of their jaws.
De Forge's striking visual sensibility-stark lines, dramatic color choices, and brilliant use of page and panel space-stands out in this volume.
Drawn & Quarterly Ant colony, hardcover/michael deforge
