cover image City Monster

City Monster

Reza Farazmand. Plume, $18 trade paper (112p) ISBN 978-0-593-08779-4

Farazmand, creator of the webcomic Poorly Drawn Lines, spins mumblecore from the misadventures of a cast of supernatural slackers. A Bigfoot-like monster moves from the forest to the city, acquires a pair of sunglasses, and settles into a life of playing video games and smoking pot with the ghost who haunts his apartment. The narrative develops a wisp of a plot as the monster and his vampire neighbor, Kim, team up to uncover the ghost’s past, a mystery that leads them to a museum, a séance, and a supernatural detective. But Farazmand isn’t very concerned with story arc; readers simply tag along as the characters go about their chill routines. The urban setting’s populated with creepy creatures who provide drily funny gags, including a pierced minotaur (rings in both septum and horn) who works at a coffee shop and perching demon birds who call-out discouraging comments: “You’ll never do any cool personal projects! Caw!” The simple, blocky artwork and muted colors, if simplistic, complement the deadpan vibe. Fans of Simon Hanselmann’s Megahex or Lisa Hanawalt’s Tuca & Bertie animated series will dig dropping in on these laid-back millennial monsters. [em]Agent: Charlie Olsen, InkWell Management. (Nov.) [/em]