At first glance, this work is reminiscent of Harvey Pekar's American Splendor
: both are autobiographical comics series about the everyday life of a struggling comics creator with leftist politics, a short temper and continuing troubles with money and women. But whereas Pekar enlists artists to draw his comics, Chiappetta illustrates his own. This collection shows Chiappetta's considerable evolution as an artist. The drawing and lettering in the early stories, from over a decade ago, looks terribly crude, but the naturalistic family portrait on the book's new cover is genuinely handsome. In between, Chiappetta usually hews a path between realism and caricature; most importantly, he succeeds in visually conveying his characters' emotions. Chiappetta repeatedly experiments both in his graphic styles and in his writing, mixing fantasy with reality, imagining himself and his family 10 years in the future, or the government tattooing bar codes on citizens' arms (though his experiments can misfire). As the book's title suggests, its dominant theme is Chiappetta's love for his daughter Maria; his relationship with her is the stable center of his existence. Seeking direction in life, Chiappetta ultimately turns to Christianity, marries a fellow believer and has a son. Chiappetta considers himself redeemed by God, but judging by what's on the page readers might well think his love as a parent was really behind his spiritual rebirth. (May)
