Earthling

Bought for my gf as a present and she loved it

Great book! Not what I was expecting at first but I still really enjoyed reading it.

Off late, say in the last decade or so, there has been a spurt of graphic novelists and artists from all over the world. “Earthling” by Aisha Franz is not just another graphic novel. There is something about it, which speaks to you and which hits the nail right on the head of the problem of our society today: Alienation and Loneliness.The graphic novel is also a coming-of-age story of two sisters. It is about their estranged mother. A father that is supposed to take them on a trip which none of the girls wants to go to. The mother dreams of what could have been had she not got pregnant early in her life. The older daughter wants to be accepted. The younger one is confused about life. All the three of them want is some semblance to a regular life and happiness. The setting is the suburbs – unknown places, a big industrial wasteland and vast fields with nothing to talk about. In all of this, each of these three characters has built a fantastical element to their stories. They find their solace and comfort there.Franz’s setting itself is another character. The black and white illustrations also add that bleak element to the story. I think “Earthling” to me is more than just a story about coping with life. It is also to a very large extent about finding yourself amidst all the noise and silences.The book, in its graphic elements relays a lot – on the human condition, how we are and yet there is a glimmer of hope somewhere for these people to perhaps want something more and get it after all. I loved “Earthling” because it was for sure a different graphic novel and to some extent also reminded me of Daniel Clowe’s characters, all wandering and trying to find their way in the world.