Couch Tag by Jesse Reklaw [Fantagraphics]
Reviewed by Chris Auman
Couch Tag is a new graphic memoir from the artist Jesse Reklaw, his first. While this may be Jesse’s debut in this format, this is hardly his first contribution to the world of comics. Jesse has been drawing and self-publishing comics for several decades. His strip, “Slow Wave”, in which he translated reader-submitted dreams into surreal comic strips has been widely published. His daily comics diary, Ten Thousand Things To Do was published by Microcosm in 2010.
Couch Tag relates the story of the author’s childhood growing up in typical dysfunctional fashion. Jesse’s nuclear family consists of his sister, himself, and his hippie parents. Although the word hippie can imply, perhaps some sort of a political leaning or communal way of life, for Jesse’s family, at least for his father, it seems to be more about being shiftless. Shiftless, yet strict. Jesse’s father is portrayed as a heavy drinker, a pot smoker, and a bit of a dick—not a sympathetic figure. His mother goes along to get along until she doesn’t anymore and the two split up. Jesse floats around or above it all, trying to figure out his place in the world.
Couch Tag is a game that Jesse and his childhood pals made up where the floor is pretended to be covered in hot lava, or some such deadly substance. To win, one must navigate their way around the room stepping only on furniture. The book is broken up into five separate sections that all deal with Jesse’s past.
Thirteen Cats
In “Thirteen Cats” (featured in The Best American Comics), Jesse recounts some of the furry past friends of the family. The cats, like the family’s homes, seem to be abandoned and changed fairly easily and in quick succession.
Toys I Loved
“Toys I Loved” features recollections of stuffed animals, security blankets, and a Stretch Armstrong. For those who don’t know, this was a goo-filled toy from the ’70s that could be stretched to almost impossible lengths.
The Fred Robinson Story
“The Fred Robinson Story” is the entertaining tale of two creative teenagers who decide to focus their energies on lightly torturing a random citizen. It’s the harmless prank phone call taken to an extreme level. The two created comics and songs (and one would almost expect a musical adaptation) that speculated life of a stranger named Fred.
“The Stacked Deck,” is told through the explanation or observation of various card games that Jesse remembers from his childhood.
Lessoned
“Lessoned,” is when things start going off the rails. The artwork gets noticeably more chaotic. The painting and whiteout of this last chapter depict a whirlwind of confusion, depression and drug experimentation as Jesse attempts to come to terms with his inner demons through an alphabetical list of past traumas, grievances, and lessons learned.
The times weren’t all bad, however. These nostalgic stories are lined with happy times here and there, even as friends, houses, and cats change. There are sure to be many more chapters to come.
Read the Reglar Wiglar interview with Jesse Reklaw.
Read more reviews.