This release has been years in getting across the finish line, but it's finally out – thanks to Perfectly Acceptable Press – and copies have at last arrived here at Copacetic!
While the publication of this book was originally planned – and long scheduled – to take place under the auspices of 2dCloud, now that we are holding the actual book in our hands, it feels like it was its destiny all along to be published by Perfectly Acceptable Press, and that it had to take this long and winding road in order to finally emerge in this physical form. It is a sturdy, hefty, well constructed hardcover with smyth-sewn binding that is well suited for the numerous reads and years of use that these volumes will surely experience. And most importantly, a tremendous amount of attention was paid to the production and care was taken with the printing to ensure that these works the best possible final form.
This book has what is unquestionably one of the greatest titles in history: Grand Electric Thought Power Mother. Think about it. And as for the comics themselves... well, it's a challenge to describe in words alone what transpires during the course of reading – experiencing is probably a better word – the works collected here. But we'll give it a go...
Lale Westvind is a singular talent whose work uniquely employs images and tropes associated with classic comics genres such as science fiction, tales of the fantastic, and jungle adventure to embody emotional states – particularly experiences of of longing. In the earlier pieces, the textual elements primarily take the form of narration, but, gradually, dialogue and their attendant word balloons – which, as the narration gives way to dialogue, are largely rectangular when they initially appear, before later rounding to the "balloon" shape that give them their name – emerge.
There is a strong feeling of urgency to both the drawings and writings as they combine to build narratives that work to communicate existential states defined by the ecstatic*. There is an intuitive modulation to the manner of the drawings – especially in the earlier pieces – that serves to convey the subjective experiences of the protagonists that is rare in comics, found most notably in the works of Frank Santoro.
These are comics as spiritual journey.
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To delve deeper, you can read our original reviews of four of the comics from when they first appeared: Now & Here | Double-Head Tour; Tornar and Riparna | Yazar & Arkadas | Mary
*We're thinking here particularly of the original Greek senses of going out of one's mind and/or self; deranging/transcending
We posted a sampling of panels/images from the book for anyone who is unfamliar with Lale Westvind's work on our Tumblr, HERE.
8 x 10" book336pp smyth-sewn hardcover
ISBN 9781734324747 Spot color offset
Edition of 3000
