Cannonball

Wroten (Crimes) skillfully explores youth, ego, and the doomed pursuit of artistic purity in her ambitious first full-length graphic novel. After graduating from college and moving out of her emotionally abusive parents’ house, Caroline Bertram is going nowhere fast: her hopes of being a professional fiction writer have stalled, her binge drinking is getting out of hand, and, despite flings and unrequited crushes, she’s still not over the girl who broke her heart in high school. Caroline’s self-destructive tendencies worsen as she retreats into herself and becomes fixated on a pro wrestler named Cannonball—a heroic female character hailed for her strength and ability. As Caroline feverishly completes her young adult fantasy novel, Wroten stylistically blends ethereal dream sequences starring Cannonball with scenes from Caroline’s novel, culminating in a final confrontation that’s as unexpected as it is heartbreaking. Each page’s vivid pastels and expressive cartooning lend emotional vibrancy to the characters’ intellectual banter. Wroten’s playful yet brutal meditation on the meaning of success, millennial anxiety about linking artistic profits to self-worth, and the vagaries of a creative spirit is bound to cement her place as a rising comics talent to watch. [em](Apr.) [/em]