Such an interesting title for a graphic memoir in which the author seems to find her life to have been so difficult. Gabrielle Bell focuses on, forgive my personal opinion here, trivial moments in her life. While she hints at a possible troubled upbringing (hungover parents unable to drive their children to school, page 39), Bell never really dives into her past. Rather, Lucky chronicles Bell's trials and tribulations as an aspiring artist in Brooklyn- yet even these problems seem to lay flat on the surface. Lucky #1 focuses mainly on Tom and Bell's perpetual apartment searching, while she often alludes to working on her "project," which I can only assume is the graphic novel itself.
In Lucky #1, stories are broken into diary-like entries, with each entry seeming trivial and together lacking the feeling of having resolution. While she introduces the idea of struggling find time to be alone in Lucky #1, this "problem" isn't resolved in Lucky #1, #2, or #3. In fact, as a whole it feels disjointed. Rather than a feeling of an important coming of age passage, I found Lucky to chronicle Bell's progress as a graphic artist. Bell's drawing style changes in each edition, starting with crowded, text heavy panels featuring fairly simply line drawings and evolving to larger, roomier panels with more depth, both in content and visually. She obviously introduces new techniques in the final installation, Lucky #3, with out of body, time and reality bending panels like those of her "what-if" scenarios while working with Sheila Bartok and the insertion of pen-pal Gérard's floating narrating head.
I still feel (ahem, personal opinion) that even at the end, her choices of topic sit stagnant on the surface and lack history. Who will teach her how to greet people in France, that in itself reading as trivial, and then POOF like magic, without frame of reference, the magical pen pal Gérard, never aforementioned, he appears, dues ex machina style to solve the trivial problem of the moment.
I am well aware that these entries are not supposed to read as "I liked it, I didn't like it" opinion pieces, but I found Lucky to be unrelatable and I couldn't help but wonder why a graphic novelist living in New York City had to get her book published in Canada.
I am loving this post, while also cringing. Thank you. I think the tale of one's progress to become (any kind of) an artist is relatable. As Sailor referenced with Voyeurs and Elmaz with the youtube videos, we know that Bell has a body of work, and from this we can surmise that no one bursts forth like some kind of Sigourney Weaver alien from a wet translucent womb to be the image of whatever she wants. Is the presupposition of an artist's evolution cause to discredit the journey?
ReplyDeleteLet's argue that!
Also I object to the supposition that due to it's subject matter (hashtag apartment searching) Lucky lacks history. Anyone who has shivered under an army blanket all night long on a bench in a makeshift art gallery above a sweat shop on a fire escape with a view of the Chrysler building would argue with that.
Yes, I agree, but shivering under an army blanket all night long on a bench in a makeshift art gallery above a sweat shop on a fire escape with a view of the Chrysler building is, to me at least, far more interesting than reading someone complain about their artist loft in a warehouse in Williamsburg. I don't argue that an artist journey isn't interesting, rather, I state that Bell's journey is notably boring... Just sayin... just sayin...
DeleteI hear you. I think it's funny how very late at night when i'm fired up I start talking like Abe Lincoln. What's with the suppositions. :)
ReplyDeleteis the boringness part of the tension?
ReplyDeletelet's talk about that
It does lack history but also, as Monica says, for me it lacks interest. For someone who grew up in Oakland and has experienced a variety of circumstances and experiences it is I relatable and uninteresting. It's not to say that this discredits her journey as an artist but it is simply a matter of perspective when it comes to this book. I wonder, why didn't she chose to talk more abut her "past" which seemed to me to be much more interesting. If the goal of this memoir was simply to chronicle her day-to-day life, well, mission accomplished!
ReplyDeleteUnrelateable* sorry!
ReplyDelete