David Chelsea in Love - Softcover

The latest entrant in the crowded field of autobiographical comics artists has produced one of the most substantial efforts in the burgeoning genre: a graphic novel in which Chelsea chronicles his tempestuous, two-year, off-and-on affair with a frustratingly neurotic actress as well as the many other romantic and sexual encounters he and she had along the way. Chelsea's careful, controlled graphic style, derived from comics masters ranging from pioneer Winsor McCay ("Little Nemo") to contemporary warts-and-all caricaturist Drew Friedman, belies the casualness with which his characters pursue their lives and loves. His storytelling skills are even stronger--genuinely astounding, in fact, considering that this is his first sustained work in comics. The book differs from most autobiographical comics in its avoidance of first-person narration or interjections in the author's voice upon unfolding events. That subjective viewpoint is what generally provides the frisson in autobiographical comics from R. Crumb's to Joe Matt's. Chelsea's eschewing of the device leaves the events and characters themselves, as well as the artist's treatment of them, to hold our interest. And hold our interest Chelsea-the-objective manages to do brilliantly. Gordon Flagg