Glenn Head has been a fixture in the underground and alternative scenes since the 80s, contributing to legendary anthologies like R. Crumb's Weirdo, Zero Zero, and his own Snake Eyes (co-edited with Kaz). He's not as well-known as many of the other names that even the moderately-educated alt-fan like me can rattle off, because he doesn't have that singular, long-form work that the others do. In Chicago from Fantagraphics, Head finally has his signature piece.

A memoir about growing up in Jersey, dedicating one's life to art, and heading for the big city, Chicago has themes similar to more art-comic biographies than one can count. But with an approach that is surprisingly frank, and refreshingly different, Head brings new depth the underground bio-comic. Many independents are about starving artists roughing it out in the city, unwilling to compromise their principles just to make a few bucks, but few are written with the perspective of a few decades of honest, unflinching self-assessment. Even fewer are illustrated with the type of controlled mania that Head possesses.

Although his work for anthologies is much more abstract and Basil Wolverton-like, in Chicago Head leans much closer to a stark, highly-stylized cartoon realism, heavy on whole-page composition saturated with familiar comics motifs.

In just the short sample of pages below, one can see enough reasons to be interested in Chicago: nuanced, realistic character work from an honest and objective point-of-view, and art like a strung-out, desperate Kim Deitch relieved of his whimsy. A great-looking long-form from an art-comix veteran hitting his peak thirty years into an impressive career.

The following preview contains some strong language.

 

loading...
loading...
loading...
loading...
loading...
loading...
loading...

 

Chicago is on sale now from Fantagraphics.

More From ComicsAlliance