When last we read Jules Feiffer it was his graphic novel trilogy paying homage to film noir and detective fiction.
Now Jules returns with a graphic novel for teens and preteens wherein he puts down comic form a detective story of a far different kind as two youngster are separated from their older sister and their very special mommy and must find their way back.
The phrase “and now for something completely different” has become an overused refrain but in this case it is appropriately applied. Feiffer has created a unique adventure
In Amazing Grapes Pearlie and Curly, the two youngsters, are whisked away to a strange dimension filled with strange creatures, some friendly, some not, and some both. (Also some big and some small and some both.) To return to their family they must complete a mysterious mission while enduring strange dangers along the way. Hey, did I mention strange?
In a People magazine interview Jules is asked how the story came about:
It’s a very good question, and the answer is, there’s no answer. I just wait ’til I’m told what to do by whatever it is in me organically and I just take orders from the voice inside me that says, “Let’s get going,” and then as much as I can, I have as little to do with the creation as possible. In a sense, I just follow the orders I’m given, which are some internal gut thing…
The best I can explain the weirdness is it’s as if Jules has transferred a mescaline-induced dream world to comics. The initially confusing continuity had me thinking it would not be out of place to pair it with Paul Kirchner’s Dope Rider in High Times magazine, though without any mention of drugs.
The surreal worlds the kids travel through make little sense at first and then when you start to realize the unreal reality of the situation Feiffer shifts gears. But there is a story and the genius of Jules keeps us captivated by all that is happening. And, somehow, when the denouement comes it all makes sense, a satisfying and enjoyable story. The weirdness and, of course, the art all become part of the charm.
From Jules interview at The Daily Heller:
[Steven Heller] I think it’s wonderfully absurd.
[Jules Feiffer] … And it was a lot of fun to do, too. My method of working has changed over the years…
One of your characters is a dog who is really a cat. In his dog guise, is it Virgil, the guide who takes us through your version of Dante’s Inferno?
I stole the dog from Walt Kelly [the creator of Pogo]. In his version, “man’s best friend” is leading people down the wrong path, and was always speechifying. And Kelly, who never had a nice word to say to me in my entire career, I decided to pay back by using his dog in my book. The dog is named Kelly.
Amazing Grapes is available now at your local bookstore or from online sources listed here.