Glyn Dillon
Self Made Hero
Quite simply, this is one of the best graphic novels I’ve
ever had the pleasure to read. I’m putting that grand statement at the start of
this review as you may see those words ‘graphic novel’ and find your head
saying ‘click away, click away!’ through fear that I might be about to talk
about capes and super powers. Forget it. This is a great book that happens to
use pictures to draw you in to its wonderful world.
The story revolves around the character of Nao, a half
Japanese girl in her twenties living and working in London . She works in one of those quirky
adult toy shops that have weird robots and all kinds of imported things in
them. She attends Buddhism classes and shares a flat with a friend. And that’s
about it.
Over the course of the story we see her meet a large,
bearded washing machine repairman who reminds her of a character from the
Japanese stories she reads in her spare time (and at work). We also see her
dealing with some deep mental health issues that cause her to have wild and
violent visions and this is great example of using the right medium to express
certain ideas within a story. In film it would seem contrived and if it were
just written it would lack to dramatic impact displayed here.
It’s a tricky book to sell really because there is no great
epic arc. It’s just a richly detailed story with a very underplayed but
naturalistic script. The artwork is immensely beautiful and, with its rich images
in watercolour, is clearly a real labour of love. There is a vivid reality to
the London
locales, but it is the character details, especially of Nao, that elevate it.
Moments when a downward glance and some subtle piece of body language say more
than words ever could are expertly used throughout.
A second story runs amongst the main narrative that tells
something akin to a Japanese folk tale, which is perfectly introduced a couple
of pages at a time and involves a completely different style of writing and
art. Images of giant robots roaming fairytale landscapes are an excellent
counterpoint to the main story. It’s just so beautiful.
I’ve recently interviewed OK Comics in Leeds ,
from where I purchased this and one thing I asked about was whether the decline
we are seeing in physical sales for music and books is mirrored by those of
graphic novels and comics. Quite rightly, I was told that the experience of
reading a comic or graphic novel is not as easy to replicate digitally (though
it has been). The Nao Of Brown is
absolutely an example of why physical books WILL survive. It’s the kind of book
you would happily build a shelf from scratch for, just to have it in your
house.
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