From Lone Mountain review | John Porcellino | [Drawn & Quarterly]
Reviewed by Chris Auman
John Porcellino returns with another King-Cat anthology (2003-2007) full of stories, observations, lists of beloved things, and, of course, the zen-like poetry of his drawings.
As he has done in previous issues of this long-running comic, John captures his feelings of wonder at, and admiration of, nature and the beauty to be found in everyday living. Porcellino takes as much joy as he can squeeze from simple pleasures, but he also wrings out life’s equally present feelings of melancholy, nostalgia, and loss. He expresses his disappointment in the frailty of his own body, the pain of losing his father, and relationships that have run their course. He also details his travels: from Illinois to Colorado to California and back again with many road trips in between.
John lives an examined life worth living—in fact, that seems to be his life’s purpose; to document his dreams, relationships with people and animals; his struggles and victories both physical and spiritual, both consequential and trivial. Who can’t relate to that?
Read an interview with John Porcellino.
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More Reviews of Comics by John Porcellino:
Hospital Suite—A collection of short stories detailing John’s ongoing health problems. The book is composed of three sections; “The Hospital Suite,” “1998” and “True Anxiety.” Each section can be read independently, but together they tell a story about the struggles of mental and physical illness that have plagued the artist throughout his adult life.
King-Cat #72—Number 72 of King-Cat Comics and Stories finds John recovering from the end of his second marriage. There’s a move to Florida and a new relationship. There’s the end of the new relationship which results in an eventual move to South Beloit, Illinois (population 8,401). This is where John currently resides in between his jaunts across the U.S. selling his wares at various small press and comics fests.
King-Cat #73—In this issue, we get an update on unusual groundhog behavior, a story about the hunt for an elusive cuckoo bird (spoiler alert: it’s not a cuckoo bird), the “King Cat Top 40” (which seems to be only 36 this time.) and my personal favorite, a “Spotlight On: Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel”.