On the island of Here, everything is seemingly perfect. There's no crime, no litter, everyone is clean shaven and life is easy. It's also amazingly banal on Here. But at least it's not like There, where the ocean begins and the world is dark, scary, and nobody returns from.
All that changes when Dave wakes up to an out of control beard growing on his face. It's not a simple matter of a little stubble as when Dave shaves his face, it grows back within minutes. The old adage of 'if you shave, it will grow back fuller and darker' is true here as Dave's beard begins to grow to such a point it threatens the safety of the citizens of Here and their property and more importantly their simple way of life.
The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins is a black and white 2013 graphic novel that challenges the concept of conformity. The story includes elements of the film Pleasantville with the people of Here's fear of the unknown anything different that the norm. The eerie perfection of the island community also reminds the reader of the idyllic setting that Jim Carrey's character is subjected to in the Truman Show. Along with the very bizarre flowing beard and the satirical bent towards pre-accepted social mores, this book could easy have been written by Roald Dahl or the subject of the next Tim Burton picture.
I thought this graphic novel was incredibly engrossing. There was a perverse curiosity behind why the people of Here were a community of Stepford People. But I don't think that the beard was truly evil. It didn't have a mind of its own and it didn't try to eat the town like the creature in the Blob. I think it's malevolence was more in the minds of the people of Here because it represented that dark and forboding unknown of There.
Another great read that, unfortunately, has a slightly ambiguous ending. Again, it's not a knock at the quality of the work or at the talents of Mr. Collins. I just don't favor books with unsettled endings.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment