Reviews of graphic novels and comic book collections every Tuesday and Thursday.


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Julius Knipl Real Estate Photographer by Ben Katchor
Ben Katchor's Julius Knipl Real Estate Photographer (1996, Little, Brown & Co., Amazon listing) is a most bizarre read. Set up like a comic strip, usually with eight panels (two rows of four), Katchor invokes a nostalgia and remenisence for a city, a time, events, products, and people that never existed.

The stories are loosely formed around Julius Knipl, but the character doesn't always appear. He is there to give Katchor a way of moving about a city which isn't named, but is obviously New York. There is a Jewish sensibility to the stories as Knipl, and Katchor, explore ethnic neighborhoods. What is most amazing is the eye for detail. Everyday events that are overlooked by most people are brought to life and made into compelling stories. More impressive is how Katchor makes things feel familiar even though there is no reference to its existence. It is these unknown stories, little details, and overlooked portions of the city that make the book such fascinating reading.

He does this through his grey art that puts the reader on the streets of a city in the past, even if the time is current. The use of product names that remind you of other products and seem so familiar that they could be real is impeccable. It is truly magnificient and yet utterly strange as it barely makes sense. This edition is prefaced by an essay by Michael Chabon (far before his Kavalier and Clay days) that explains it much better than I could.

Julius Knipl Real Estate Photographer 4 stars (out of 5)
posted by Sean McGurr at 9:46 AM