Reviews

Leaving Richard's Valley by Michael DeForge

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A personality cult among cute animal creatures in the forest; eventually a small crew escapes to the big, less pretty, but more free city outside of Richard's grasp. I'm reading Birds of Maine right now, which is more ambitious and a bit harder to follow but shares the same interest in utopian visions and failures, though it doesn't challenge our own capitalistic present as directly.

I love the black and white of these strips. The spiders are impossibly adorable and it makes sense when one of them becomes a hand model.

likeable_luddite's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ash_hernick's review

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5.0

When I picked up this book I thought it would be a goofy brick of a graphic novel that I'd finish in a day or two. And I did finish it in a day - but it was anything but simply "goofy". Leaving Richard's Valley is a stunning story about escaping a cult of personality, the effects of gentrification, and finding your way in life in a world that doesn't seem to care about you. Full of sweet art and great lines, Leaving Richard's Valley is a heart-wrenching piece of fiction that everyone should read.

odoggywhatwhat's review

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4.0

Usually I go to Michael Deforge to feel a stunning sense of body horror, dread, dystopian absurdism, and an ever-expanding style of art. But this is a lot more straightforward than his usual work. What I found instead here was something that made me smile wider than anything has in a while. Something that is instantly quotable and matches it’s cynical view of city life with so much hope. I was never at quite the right place or time to flip through a Calvin & Hobbes book front to back and feel like it was for me but I imagine this is what that would feel like.