Wilson’s hard to like, but easy to relate to. That’s the cleverness of creator Daniel Clowes.
This slice-of-obnoxious-life cartoon book is getting a new edition from D & Q this month, in time for the movie version, starring Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern, which is due out on March 24.
In the book, the story plays out in newspaper-style single-page cartoon, each a vignette from the life of a middle-aged loner. Many of the little gag strips are laugh-out-loud funny, as Wilson floats through unremarkable American locations, engaging with people (whether they like it or not) to tell them why they’re wrong.
But — and this is the clever bit — the story that ties together while reading these strips in sequence is sadder. Wilson seems funny, no-nonsense and iconoclastic, but then there’s the slow realization that he’s horrible, and unhappy, and flawed.
There’s a story, too, of his attempt to reconnect with loved ones and examine his own life. It’s all great stuff.
