With great economy and supreme confidence, [Drnaso] constructs whole worlds ... a masterful storyteller ...
The Seattle Review of Books
$24.95 CAD/$21.95 USD
A darkly funny portrait of middle America seen through the stunted minds of its children
The modern lost souls of Beverly struggle with sexual anxieties that are just barely repressed and social insecurities that undermine every word they speak. Time passes, bodies change sizes, realities blur with fantasies, truths disintegrate, childhood comforts turn uncomfortable. Again and again, the civilized façades of Nick Drnaso’s pitch-perfect suburban landscapes crack in the face of violence and quiet brutality. Drnaso's debut graphic novel leaves you haunted and squirming and longing for more.
Praise for Beverly
Drasno’s clean-lined art contrasts with the squirmy discomfort of his narratives ... If Todd Solondz drew comic books …
The Herald Scotland
Drnaso’s diagnosis of the sickness at the soul of sheltered communities is novel in its discordant effects and keen observation.
The Globe and Mail
Drnaso's stories and characters, and perhaps his view of the world, are ... achingly realistic, and all too familiar.
The Chicago Reader
Drnaso is clearly skilled at constructing his story ... full of quiet despair and what-ifs?
Paste
"Drnaso tells these stories at an almost languid pace and takes unexpected turns that keep you anxiously looking ahead ... a fresh and compelling book"
Mental Floss
Ivan Brunetti, author of Aesthetics: A Memoir and Cartooning: Philosophy and PracticeNick’s precise drawings and unsettling stories present a world felt and filtered through a very particular (and palpable) consciousness, but not an ego, our world seen through alien, but not unsympathetic, eyes. It’s impossible to predict what will happen from page to page, as narratives connect subtly and themes emerge slowly, but each re-reading bears new and satisfying surprises.
Like Brunetti and Ware, Drnaso is fixated on using the comic-book medium to explore the complexities of the human condition, and employs a stark, streamlined visual style that keeps the focus on the emotional life of the characters.
The A.V Club
Nick Drnaso’s Beverly captures such a recognizable, raw feeling of the “now” that if it was a film Drnaso would be heralded as a “stunning new directorial voice.” If it was a novel, he would be a “literary sensation.” But Beverly’s chilled windowpane views into the fogged American psyche are not cartoon copies of film or literature. They’re something completely new.
Chris Ware, author of Building Stories
Drnaso’s art and dialogue bring out the joy of quiet observation and everyday tenderness
Vulture
