Six Treasures of the Spiral: Comics Formed Under Pressure

Manic, funny, and complex, this staggeringly inventive collection from Madden (Ex Libris) detonates any remaining assumptions readers might hold for the traditional comics medium. Madden employs his knowledge of comics technique across a gallery of formal experiments that range from sagas (the exquisite “Bridge,” about a madness-inducing multi-generational quest) to witty one-pagers (“A History of American Comics in Six Panels”), and a wordless, noirish adaptation of Julio Cortázar’s “The Continuity of Parks.” Madden’s mostly black-and-white drawing is similarly free-range, pivoting from crowded street scenes to Hergé-style goofs, and introducing occasional wispy color wash for one-page haikus (“Julie has seen my other/ sketches on Tumblr”). The more avant-garde elements are grounded by a spirit of wistful romanticism and playful eroticism, which are best displayed in longer pieces, like “U.S. Post Modern Office Homes, Inc.,” wherein an office worker discovers her boss is a former porn star, and “Drawn Onward,” a twisty ouroboros that turns a stalker scenario on its head. A detailed afterword unpacks all the techniques and “constraints” Madden used to create these pieces, but some comics fans may prefer to just read and reread the results without worrying too much about how the magic got made. This has the feel of an instant classic. (Nov.)