Interiorae

(Fantagraphics, 2005-2006, 2010)
™ and © 2005 Gabriella Giandelli
Fourth book in "Ignatz" collection.

This is the fourth book in the Ignatz collection, a series of magazine-sized graphic novels. Kind of like the Jimmy Stewart movie Harvey, but told from the rabbit’s point of view. The unnamed rabbit observes the behavior of a number of different people and comments on their lives. The rabbit is very versatile; he can change size and shape in order to accommodate his various surroundings and can move through walls. The end of the story reveals his ultimate purpose. A very unique idea.

— Mark Arnold

From the Comics Buyer’s Guide:

One primarily for the art crowd, this book evokes the harsh and the pleasant behind the closed doors of the apartment building that is itself a character in the story. Giandelli’s soft, calm sepia tones belie the rawness of the characters presented, all done in a fantasy-esque (in the old days, one would say “fantastic”) atmosphere.

Told via a talking white rabbit who travels freely around the apartment complex, the story explores the young and old, the naïve and the drawn, and other tenants in what is no doubt a giant metaphor and group of metaphors. Giandelli opts for elegance over action in this story, a fitting choice, given the characters presented.

This is no Alice in Wonderland, though one could draw similarities to that tale, specifically in the pain people feel that is not obvious to their casual acquaintances. Much like the building—and the story—Interiorae is best read from the perspective of contemplating that which isn’t directly in front of the reader’s eyes.

— Ray Sidman

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