The Complete Strange Growths: 1991–1997

This first compilation of 1990s zinester Zervakis’s work has the potential to make her charming comics known to a larger readership. Many stories are quick-sketched, awkward slice-of-life tales, but the form is elevated in renditions of peculiar dreams, like the amusingly titled “One of Those Bathroom Dreams,” and evocatively recalled road trips, and impressionistic vignettes, all imbued with a deep, almost poetic, introspection. An elegiac portrait of the dolls beloved by Zervakis and her sister strikes a quiet melancholic chord, which sounds again as she remembers a lover just as lost to the past. The inclusion of early issues of amateur quality create an uneven opening for general readers. But even with that caveat, there’s a certain satisfaction in watching Zervakis grow as a creator over time. This collection will satisfy the nostalgia of zine collectors and offer examples and encouragement for burgeoning DIY artists to follow. Throw Harvey Pekar and Lynda Barry in a blender with a little Roz Chast, add a splash of confessional poetry, and you’ll get Zervakis’s general oeuvre. (Apr.)