Alex

(Fantagraphics, 1994-1995, 2006)
™ and ©1994 Mark Kalesniko

Fantagraphics has a reputation for publishing offbeat, esoteric books that are far afield from the usual comic book fare. Alex, by Mark Kalesniko, is just the kind of story that generates this reputation.

Alex is a sad, pathetic character whose dreams of working for a major animation studio in California, did not result in the career satisfaction that his high school yearbook promised. He’s been there, done that. And now he’s back in his hometown, living a meaningless life punctuated by alcoholic blackouts. Jerome, his friend from high school, is a frustrated poet and leads a similar existence, minus the alcoholism. The high point of their day is Gilligan’s Island reruns. The stark black-and-white artwork that fittingly characterizes Alex as a dog, while everyone else as human, aptly conveys the desperation of his life.

— George Haberberger

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