This sometimes perplexing anthology is a bizarre sampler of diverse and dark art and stories. The longest piece, "The Armed Garden" by David B (Epileptic
) chronicles the conflict between the forces of the pope and an army of nudist warriors out to reclaim Paradise. Set in 1415, the battle is rife with religious symbolism, sepia-toned cartoon psychedelia and visions of Eve as a goddess whose loins are the pathway back to Eden. The remainder of the volume is far less heady, with the rest of the 13 stories focusing on mundane aspects of daily life and veering into largely dark territory involving childhood insecurities about sexuality, a dog's graphic beheading by a passenger train, a creepy old woman whose unspeakably bleak upbringing leads her to a life of kidnapping and the production of child pornography, and an all-too-real dialogue between a pair of male and female adolescents. It's all bookended with a pair of one-page humor strips. Although at times a bit too artsy and pretentious for its own good, this book is still a powerful showcase for a new generation of cartoonists including Anders Nilsen, Gabrielle Bell and Jonathan Bennett. (Apr.)
