Sunday in The Park With Boys is a comic book illustrated by
Jane Mai, an artist with a very unique, distinguished persona. You might remember her from my
TCAF highlights. Although it is not obvious at first, the book is an auto-biography about the phase of depression she went through at some point in her life.
In the comic, not only does she address the reader through narration, but she also has dialogues with herself at times, as if giving us complete access to her mind, which puts us in her shoes. I think anyone who has
gone through depression or is currently experiencing it could really appreciate this aspect because it allows the reader to relate to the artist. As Jane walks us through the story, we get a sense that she is falling deeper into the depths of her mental state.
This is apparent as we get the idea that she progressively distances herself from others, and eventually reveals to us a strong feeling of comfort in solitude, while we witness her growing a strong disliking for herself.
The black and white pages reinforce the atmosphere within the comic; colors bring about a more positive aura, which wouldn’t have worked in terms of us relating to her through experiencing her thought processes. Her
thoughts are dark and deep, as is the ink on the pages.
Throughout the book, there is this presence of a centipede. I am not too sure what it actually represents but it seems to be eating her up, so perhaps it is depression itself, or the series of experiences that are
the result of that.
I mostly like the very last pages of the comic because she starts to come out of her state of mind by thinking that maybe it’s actually time for her to change, and to take a chance at life-which ever part of her life
she feels she should to take a chance on.
Overall, this is a good read. I really liked it, and I’m a fan of
Jane Mai’s art itself. If you’re into the slice-of-life genre, I recommend you this. The book is published by
Koyama Press, a small Canadian company that publishes the works of some unique artists. If you appreciate animation in general, especially if you regularly read manga and other comics, I strongly suggest you give smaller
publishing companies, as well as other companies that aren’t as mainstream as say
Kodansha and DC Comics for example, a try. I think it will deepen your love for this art because you’re not dealing with the cliché stories and usual book formats that the big guys provide.
And we, elite otaku, like to jump outside the norm, don't we?