by Joe Zabel
As an artist, Chris Shadoian is a rolling stone.
When The Streets of Northampton started, Shadoian focused on short, oddball slices of life. Most artists would have just stayed on that track, but Shadoian went on to do a historical saga, a set of quasi-political cartoons, and a short, contemporary graphic novel.
If history is any judge, the restless artist will move on to something entirely different with his next project. But lets take the time to map the acreage he's already covered.
The early installments of The Streets of Northampton are like a variation on Harvey Pekar's 'From off the streets of Cleveland' autobiographical tales. In 'The Wealth of El Salvador,' the principle interest is its eyewitness appeal; Chris's two contrasting visits to El Salvador are bejeweled with thoughtful moments, but lack a strong sense of unity and purpose. From the earliest strips, though, Shadoian's storytelling has been clear and uncomplicated, and his artwork has been smooth and cheerful in temperament.
Deserted Explorer
In 'The Deserted Ernest Giles' Shadoian makes an impressive stylistic leap into a longer narrative with ambiguous edges, a true history that ranges from a harrowing tale of survival to a breathtaking brush with immortality.
Exploring the outback in 19th century Australia, still grieving from the loss of a traveling companion, Giles goes nearly insane with hunger and thirst. Then, staggering to the top of a ridge, he is astonished to see a natural wonder of immense proportions. What happens when he returns to civilization caps the yarn with a satisfying ironic twist.
Shadoian's treatment gives the tale a strange, paradoxical atmosphere, particularly in the way the framing sequence blends into the flashback of Giles desert struggle. The artist milks the climax for everything its worth, switching to the comics equivalent of slow-motion as Giles tops the ridge and takes in the vision that will change his life forever. He loudly exclaims with astonishment, and his "Ahhhh!!" echoes back to him in the lingering majestic quiet.
We sense that Giles is a man who will never be at home in civilization. As the story comes to a close, his hopes for fame dashed by an interloper, Giles appears distracted. The foreground fades away around him, and he is once again roaming the barren outback, on an endless quest for transcendance.
A return to the short format, 'Tuna Ala Milton' is reminiscent of some American Splendor one-pagers where Pekar interviews fellow employees. It also reminds me of Duplex Planet Illustrated, where author David Greenberger chronicled the stories of patients in a skilled nursing facility. In the story, Milton is conversing with an unseen interviewer, explaining his lifelong search for a lost sandwich recipe. Milton is especially memorable because of the wonderful rendering of his eccentric appearance in a large floppy hat, spot on for someone whose passion in life is tuna on rye.
Strawberry Day
Shadoian's affection and sympathy for the world's eccentrics finds perfect expression in his longest story to date, 'Strawberry Julius.' The story follows a day in the life of Gillian, an innocent, somewhat simple young woman. In the course of the story, we get to know Gillian very well.
She's the sort of person who has conversations with her cat, Mr. Scratch (Shadoian is an excellent animal artist). She also belongs to a book-reading group whose other members, if Mrs. Walsh is typical, are aging, vindictive loudmouths.
Gillian is naive about sexual matters, and when a bookstore owner complains about young boys tearing pages out of photography books, it takes her a minute to catch on. But Gillian is no puritan. Opening one of the vandalized books, she strokes the torn edges of the extracted pages with amused affection.
The big event in her otherwise uneventful day is a trip to the movies. Shadoian builds suspense with Hitchcockian shrewdness-- first there is a long line, then the woman in the ticket booth goes into a sales pitch. Confusion about when the movie starts threatens to spoil poor Gillian's evening. But luck, and a little daring, brings the episode to a satisfying climax.
Returning home, Gillian is sedately satisfied. What would be a petty subterfuge for someone else is an unheard-of risk for her. "What an adventure," she repeats to herself, "what an adventure."
How delightful to spend a day with someone whose innocence, simplicity, and kindness is such an antidote to the harsh, cynical world in which we live. What an adventure, indeed!
