The Late Child and Other Animals

This graphic autobiography takes the form of several shorter pieces, each devoted to a pivotal moment of awakening in Van Cook’s life. The stories address the struggles of her mother as a single woman in an oppressive and judgmental England, as well as the loss of Cook’s innocence in a terrifying childhood encounter, and her emotional growth during a freewheeling vacation in France. Van Cook’s reminiscences unfold in an impressionistic way, relating not only what happened but the feelings involved. The comic pays particularly vivid attention to flowers, food, drink, and love, bringing out hidden proportions that neither drawings nor words alone might capture. It’s Van Cook’s voice that is the star here, but longtime partner Romberger (Seven Miles a Second) displays an intimate understanding of the person using that voice. His art has multiple goals, underlining the sensuousness while also bringing her flights a little down to earth and giving a form to the more abstract qualities of her experiences. Together they make it a complete emotional package of calm, philosophical maturity. (Dec.)