Rookie Moves by November Garcia is a 20-page, digest-size comic book (with cardstock covers) that provides a window on the soul of the small press, self-publishing comics scene.  In these pages we are provided with a look at some of the social aspects of the scene in general, and an example of an instince of crossing the divide from consumer to producer, in particular.  All comics creators are first comics readers.  Many, including one November Garcia, are so inspired by the comics they encounter that they are led to aspire to become a comics creator themselves, naturally grvitating towards the ranks of those creators whose work most inpired them.  While this process/cycle holds true in practically all artistic endeavors, in the world of small press and self-published comics, the border between reader and maker is among the most porous, where readers who so desire will encounter little resistance, with people continually crossing back and forth.  In oither words, any habitué of the world of small press comics will find plenty to relate to here.

Complete and Utter Malarkey collects the work November Garcia created from, roughly, 2016 to 2023 in a nicely produced 300+ page hardcover volume.  So, a lot of comics!  The largest portion of the book collects her self-published series, Malarkey; thus this volume's title.  But, there's plenty more!  Collected here are also a wide variety of pieces that were produced for and/or appeared elsewhere; in anthologies like Hic & Hoc, Sweaty Palms and Pandemic Comics; and in magainzes like MOMA Magazine, PEN America, The New Yorker, and The Stranger.  Also included is her 16-page work, "Cycle," made for The Santoro Corrrespondence Course for Comic Book Makers.

The work is black & white, full color and duo- or tri-tone, in roughly equal measures, making for a nicely variegated reading experience.  Oh yeah, also, it's fun!

Praise for Complete and Utter Malarkey:

“There’s a high voltage, electric current running through these panels. Every frame is brimming over with sharp, intelligent humor. You’ll find no filler or duds in this book, just exceptional storytelling and skilled draftmanship, realized with an eye for design. Garcia depicts her self-indulgence, pathos, and decadence with exacting, rigorous self-discipline. That is confessional comics at its finest. I feel bad for her weepy ex.”

- Gabrielle Bell, Everything is Flammable

“Hilarious, honest, cringey, and so much fun.”

 - Gina Wynbrandt, Someone Please Have Sex With Me

Since 2019, The Museum of Modern Art has commissioned cartoonists and illustrators to craft stories about their experiences inside and outside the museum. Editors Alex Halbertadt and Arlette Hernandez have gathered together here, in the 184 pages of this horizontally formatted, 6" x 12", full color hardcover, twenty-five of those comics, all taking place in the comp;any of – and inspired by – modern art, primarily that shown in and/or part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City (NYC).  These comics have been created by a stellar array of cartoonists, including Jon Allen, Gabrielle Bell, Barbara Brandon-Croft, Jessica Campbell, Roz Chast, Ted Closson, Liana Finck, Ali Fitzgerald, November Garcia, Anna Haifisch, Mari Kanstad Johnsen, Patrick Keck, Lee Lai, Ellen Lindner, John Vasquez Mejias, Danica Novgorodoff, Tommi Parrish, Ben Passmore, Weng Pixin, Anna Sarvira, Walter Scott, Bishakh Som, Karl Stevens, Chris Ware (whose contribution is a stand-alone, pull-out / fold-out poster; of course), and Erin Williams.  

The horizontaliity of the format* makes for a reading experience akin to that of reading mammoth sized daily newspaper strips of spectacularly diverse approaches, intents and manifested styles.  We will admit to having had some trepidation that the work would veer towards the precious and/or self-consciously arty – but no!  Our concerns were misplaced.  The work presented here largely adheres to the cartoonist ethos and stays true to the comics making / reading  experience.  So, readers whose personal Venn diagrams show a strong overlap between museum going and comics reading have a very good chance of connecting with much of the work that this collection contains.  If that sounds like you, then we  can say, "Recommended!"

––––––––––

*Two of the contributing artists – Ben Passmpore and John Vasquez Mejias – decided to "flip the script" (read, format), and chose to go vertical instead, necessitating a ninety degree rotation of the book and making for yet another take on the (very) Old School daily strips that also sometimes ran vertically in the paper, as dictated by space requirements.