No. 455: Maybe It Is Possible To Chart the Ways To A Golden Horizon

A couple of weeks ago, I had a visit with my old pal/co-worker/fellow cartoonist Kubby Bear, and she gave me a copy of her minicomic Clare. It really left a deep impression on me. I think about it a lot.

The characters are great and full and real. Clare is an "innocent," my favorite type of comics character. He is pure. He strives for what is right. I should probably stop, though. It doesn't feel right to "review" this comic. I'm not sure what to say about it. I just wanted to stress that it is something special, one of the best minicomics I've ever read. The spread of pages 8 and 9 is a remarkable thing. I can completely relate to Clare in that moment -- and many others in the comic.

Clare is a romantical, magical thing that deals with subjects that I dearly love. It is tender, smart, and poetical. It's graceful and just feels "right." It doesn't feel like a damaged person created it. It could possibly serve as a strange, jumbled, weirdly accurate reflection on the experience of attending the Center for Cartoon Studies, but I would hate to force that onto it. ("I didn't come here thinking I'd be the next Peony Cartwright, and I feel sorry for anyone that does!")

Anyway, Claire #1. I'm not sure where you can find one, but if you do happen to see it, make sure you buy it immediately. In a more beautiful world, this would be what all the comics boys are talking about, and you could buy it at Borders next to Wilson.

(Photo and subject line were stolen from Kubby herself.)