Award-winning artist and animator Morse (Plastic Man
; Southpaw
) muses on childhood, fatherhood and imagination in this charming autobiography. Replacing himself with a “paper tiger,” his tiger character from Southpaw
, he shows readers how he sees the adult world: luminous, full of possibility, but dangerous, too, in its capacity to squelch artistic impulses. The introduction dwells in the world of Morse's imagination and is a little vague and overwritten, but—ironically—as soon as the little orange tiger takes off for jury duty, Morse's talent shines. On a break from the selection process, our tiger wanders downtown Oakland, sketching those he sees: a couple having lunch outside, the employee of an animal shelter, even an unfriendly woman. “There is no mundane, and no day is ordinary,” Morse tells us, and, indeed, his artist's eye finds the meaning in whatever is around him. At the end of the day, the reunited tiger and son make their way home through a world that is still sometimes unfriendly—but just by being there they lighten it and remind readers to take chances on themselves. A must-read for Morse fans, but also for anyone with a child, and anyone who still questions the status quo. (Jan.)
