I Still Live
Reviewed by R Krauss
Written and drawn by Annie Murphy
Self-published, 2008
60 b&w pages, including the cover
Email Annie Murphy to inquire about availability
mailto:murphylawless@gmail.com
The diversity of today's small press comics continues to advance. As more and more new cartoonists are trained through schools like The Center for Cartoon Studies, The School of Visual Arts, and others, the more the medium expands beyond traditional comic book genres. Today, the subject matter is wide open. The comics format is simply the delivery medium.
I Still Live is a great example of a small press comic that's contributing to the trend. It's a biography of Spiritualist Achsa Sprague, who lived in 19th Century Vermont. Bedridden for six years with rheumatic fever, the debilitated Sprague credited spirits for her eventual recovery. Thus inspired, she was reborn as a medium and trance lecturer spreading the word of Spiritualism and women's rights throughout the United States and Canada for the remainder of her short life.
I Still Live is Murphy's tribute to Sprague, but she also includes the backstory on how she discovered, and was inspired by the famous Spiritualist. Murphy's personal insights add a compelling connection to the work and her detailed Notes in the back of the book add depth and context. Throughout the story she includes historical asides that help frame Sprague's life within the greater cultural and industrial revolution that takes place around her.
Murphy's writing flows naturally from poetic prose to historical factoids, with quotes from Sprague's own diary woven in to add drama and authenticity. The artwork ranges from simple, basic cartooning to more ambitious illustrations with lots of detail and ink washes. I liked Murphy's page layouts in this small press comic. She seemed to let the story tell itself, freely moving from full page drawings to those with multiple images. And in spite of the relatively low production values, her frequent use of reversed lettering was remarkably clear and effective.
R. Krauss reviews small press and mini comics for Comic Related, Midnight Fiction, and Poopsheet Foundation.
Rating the Issue
Story: Overall 9 Art: Overall 8 |
Storytelling: 9 Importance: Overall 8 |
Name: Richard Krauss
email: arkay@midnightfiction.com
Been reading comics: Since I started reading Marvel comics in Junior High School.
Review Bio: After several years I discovered titles like Zap and Bijou at a headshop and was seduced by the freedom and variety they offered. When the new-wave comix era sprouted from the seeds of the undergrounds, I quickly joined the ranks of other struggling cartoonists with phenomenally low print runs. After almost a decade of small press comix, I retired and made a solemn vow never to return. Several years later the Internet happened and over time many of my favorite new-wave cartoonists got online. The bug bit again and I started exploring the new crop of small press cartoonists. Today's explosion of small press comics is more exciting than any time I've ever seen.
Favorites: Papercutter, Not My Small Diary, Slam Bang, Comic Eye, stuff from Main Enterprises and Weird Muse, to name a few.
Website: MidnightFiction.com
Page last updated on October 26, 2008