Escape from "Special" features short pieces about Melissa as she grows from a young girl to an adolescent.  Miss (her first name) Lasko-Gross' debut graphic novel, according to the back cover, is "semi-autobiographical," but it is more a set of distinct episodes than a long narrative.  It is drawn in monochrome; the drawing style varies through the book; the number of frames per page ranges from just one to seven, and the page is often full of ink so it looks dark, and the images are full of details.  Yet for all the sophistication of the art the overall feel is crude, due to the awkward facial expressions and body postures of the characters, and the slightly untidy lettering.  Lasko-Gross makes Melissa and her friends grimace and contort themselves.  It's reminiscent of Aline Kominsky-Crumb. 

Melissa is identified as having emotional problems, and she ends up in special education.  She also sees a child therapist.  It's hard to work out exactly what is meant to be wrong with her: she just doesn't fit in.  She is emotional and outspoken, and she has a vivid imagination.  She starts drawing stories, and gets derided by her schoolmates for it.  She argues with her parents.  She is disrespectful to her elders.  However, we don't learn much about the rest of her family, and so it is hard to understand Melissa.

The strongest part of Escape from "Special" is the artwork.  Many of the pages are a pleasure to view.  Some pages are stunning.  The little stories are quirky but they don't really grab the attention.  The later ones are more distinctive because Melissa has more personality as she gets older.  If Lasko-Gross continues Melissa's story into high school in a future volume, the book might fit together better as a whole. 

Links

• Interview with Miss Lasko-Gross
• Fantagraphic Books

© 2007 Christian Perring

Christian Perring, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Dowling College, New York.

Categories: ArtAndPhotography