Chicago-based artist and musician Anya Davidson (born 1983) is the author of numerous zines and mini-comics and was a member of the cult favorite band Coughs. School Spirits is her idiosyncratic and captivating debut full-length graphic novel. Described by the author as “Beavis and Butthead meets James Joyce’s Ulysses,” it is the story of Oola, a high school student with an unusual connection to the supernatural. Comprised of four chapters, each deploying a different narrative technique, School Spirits is at once funny, sexy, mystical and, above all, utterly readable. Davidson’s crisp cartooning style makes even the strangest occurrences somehow seem plausible. This publication is sure to appeal to Davidson’s existing extensive underground following, as well as to fans of the farther reaches of contemporary graphic fiction.
Featured page is reproduced from Anya Davidson: School Spirits.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Publisher's Weekly
Chicago-based artist and musician Davidson is known for her underground zines and minicomics; her first full-length graphic novel continues in this vein of surreal, pulp-inspired, absurdist adventures. This book follows fanatical metal girl Oola and her bizarre supernatural connections to the things around her—most notably the intense metal musician Hrothgar. Listening to his music inspires lengthy dream visions that drift beyond the strange to the seemingly incomprehensible. Yet for all this, Davidson’s graphic novel is eminently readable; it presents a story that allows the author to give full range to her imagination. Her drawings defy straightforward categorization, sometimes feeling like the artwork of golden age science fiction comics and sometimes in the tradition of punk pioneer Gary Panter or raunchmeister Johnny Ryan. Davidson uses a different style for each of the four chapters, including long wordless sequences. Unconventional as it all is, Davidson’s narrative invention and visual imagination never waver. In terms of its storytelling and as a work of art, School Spirits is an inspired debut effort.
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FROM THE BOOK
"Davidson's graphic novel is eminently readable; it presents a story that allows the author to give full range to her imagination. Her drawings defy straightforward categorization, sometimes feeling like the artwork of golden age science fiction comics and sometimes in the tradition of punk pioneer Gary Panter or raunchmeister Johnny Ryan. Davidson uses a different style for each of the four chapters, including long wordless sequences. Unconventional as it all is, Davidson's narrative invention and visual imagination never waver. In terms of its storytelling and as a work of art, School Spirits is an inspired debut effort." - Publisher's Weekly
Featured image is reproduced from School Spirits, PictureBox's new graphic novel by Chicago-based artist and musician Anya Davidson. Publisher's Weekly gives the book a glowing review: "Davidson is known for her underground zines and minicomics; her first full-length graphic novel continues in this vein of surreal, pulp-inspired, absurdist adventures… Yet for all this, Davidson’s graphic novel is eminently readable; it presents a story that allows the author to give full range to her imagination. Her drawings defy straightforward categorization, sometimes feeling like the artwork of golden age science fiction comics and sometimes in the tradition of punk pioneer Gary Panter or raunchmeister Johnny Ryan. Davidson uses a different style for each of the four chapters, including long wordless sequences. Unconventional as it all is, Davidson’s narrative invention and visual imagination never waver. In terms of its storytelling and as a work of art, School Spirits is an inspired debut effort." continue to blog
Chicago-based artist and musician Anya Davidson (born 1983) is the author of numerous zines and mini-comics and was a member of the cult favorite band Coughs. School Spirits is her idiosyncratic and captivating debut full-length graphic novel. Described by the author as “Beavis and Butthead meets James Joyce’s Ulysses,” it is the story of Oola, a high school student with an unusual connection to the supernatural. Comprised of four chapters, each deploying a different narrative technique, School Spirits is at once funny, sexy, mystical and, above all, utterly readable. Davidson’s crisp cartooning style makes even the strangest occurrences somehow seem plausible. This publication is sure to appeal to Davidson’s existing extensive underground following, as well as to fans of the farther reaches of contemporary graphic fiction.
