Wilson

Wilson by Daniel Clowes
Adult Graphic Novels-Main Level - WIL

Wilson by Daniel Clowes

It has been ten years since Daniel Clowes has released David Boring, his last full length graphic novel, so there was much anticipation surrounding Clowes’ new work. Also, this is his first original graphic novel; the first not to be serialized in his comic periodical, Eight Ball.

While Clowes’ previous graphic novels had been divided into serialized chapters, this work consists of over 70 standalone full page stories, rendered in different le. All these stories are connected, though, and follow the overall narrative, yet have their own punch line at the bottom of the page. The story follows a middle aged man named Wilson, who has very little connection to his family, no friends, and a complexly optimistic, yet misanthropist view towards society.

While Wilson does eventually manage to connect to family members, in dramatic and disastrous ways, the main story here is that of Wilson’s growth as a person. While Wilson does not truly lose his entire misanthropic outlook, he does grow to appreciate aspects of humanity in his own way.