Re/Read in a recurring column by Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid that examines backlist titles you may have missed or are worthy of another look. This time we’ll focus on the early Daniel Clowes masterpiece, Like A Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, recently re-issued with a colorful new cover.
Like A Velvet Glove Cast in Iron was first serialized in Eightball. It represented the artist’s initial effort at a long-form cinematic narrative. It was sometimes compared to the atmospheric work of filmmaker David Lynch. While there may have been superficial similarities, Clowes was clearly developing the singular approach to storytelling that became so familiar in his later works like Ghost World, David Boring, and Patience, among others. His mysterious motifs remain wondrous, and his precise rendering style is in full view. At the time of its release, Entertainment Weekly described it as, “A nightmare told with absolute clarity. Little Nemo as rewritten by Samuel Beckett. Grade: A.” This book is essential to any fan of contemporary comix.
You’ll find a comprehensive selection of graphic novels by Daniel Clowes and his cartooning colleagues at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, located at 1201 S Vale Street in the heart of Seattle’s Georgetown art community. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206-557-4910.