BLOOD ON HIS HANDS

Books & Comics Selfie Project #4

INSOMNIA CAFE by M.K. Perker

"Who said that reading novels and writing about them must be boring?"

Peter Kolinsky's favorite place for an evening out is Insomnia Cafe run by an amazing bar tender Angela. Suffering from sleeping disorders, he finds her presence somewhat soothing.

When Angela feels she can trust Peter, she takes him to the Archives - a secret and most fascinating library on the planet where books being now written by the world's most famous authors are available for reading. However, when the writers put their pen down, the books disappear from the Archives' shelves.

Peter gets confused and steals one of the books. Soon he learns there is a heavy price to pay for breaking the rules of this unusual place.

"Insomnia Cafe" is a grasping comics novel created by an acclaimed Turkish illustrator living in New York - M.K. Perker. Published by Dark Horse Books, it is eerie and will keep surprising you till the last page.

SHORTCOMINGS: EMOTIONAL DILEMAS OF A NORMAL GUY

"Shortcomings" by Adrian Tomine / Photo by Agnes Prygiel

"Shortcomings" is a poignant graphic novel by Adrian Tomine, published in Britain in 2012 by Faber and Faber.

"Shortcomings" by Adrian Tomine / Photo by Agnes Prygiel

Ben is a 30-year-old university cinema manager and more or less a normal guy whose relationship with Miko falls apart after she organizes an independent film festival at the campus and gets a small modelling job. Ben feels insecure and slightly jealous of her career as he himself is a bit stuck with his job and life in general. With Miko distancing herself he turns for support to his lesbian friend Alice and starts some small sex experiments with other girls.

With art, campus life, a fascinating trip to New York and of course love - "Shortcomings" is a really interesting graphic novel to read.

Don't Judge a Comics by its Size: PEBBLE ISLAND

"Pebble Island" / Photo by Nobrow Press

Pebble Island by Jon McNaught is a beautiful graphic novel published by Nobrow Press in 2010. This 15x15cm booklet fits into a large pocket. But one should not judge it by its size. It is an amazing collection of stories inspired with childhood memories of the Falkland Islands. Using a silent narration with hardly any words at all, the author invites us into an intimate world of forgotten adventures. This wonderfully crafted graphic novel depicts amazing landscapes, beautiful nature and quiet, but somehow magical and intriguing life on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a particular sensitivity. Each image is a miniature print with lots of intricate details. Nostalgic and eerie, Pebble Island is a unique work bringing a lot of sentiment into the comics novel experience.

Pebble Island by Jon McNaught / photo Agnes Prygiel