The Acme Novelty Library, Number 18

The only work by Chris Ware I've read before is a short illustrated story from an anthology I've only read parts of, but his work certainly leaves an impression. His art style is very clean and simple, looking sort of like diagrams from safety instructions or something, but it belies the powerful emotional depth of his writing. His most famous work is Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, which was first published in the Acme Novelty Library, a series he now publishes on his own. The 18th issue is the story of a lonely woman with a prosthetic leg, not too old but not that young either, and it just sort of follows her life and some of its more significant events. Judging by the art on the inner jacket I thought it would be fairly suicidal, but for the most part it was more just generally depressing and self reflective. The events it covers aren't really too dramatic or world changing, but they do seem pretty honest about how bleak life can seem sometimes. It's pretty impressive how well Ware writes a female protagonist, and if I didn't know who made it I would have guessed a woman. I guess as a guy myself I can't really know how true it is, but it's definitely easier to read about someone you don't totally relate to than write about them. Although I guess anyone who's just felt alone can relate to her on some level, as it can be a pretty powerful story. Definitely not something to read if you want to feel good inside, but it's completely unique and insightful.