Review by Solomon Yeoh
Daniel Clowes’ one man anthology Eightball ran from 1989 and is widely considered a benchmark of alternative comics, establishing a standard for cartoonists to explore a wide range of topics within their individual frameworks. Clowes has since developed into a leading voice among the alternative comics crowd, creating works such as Monica, Patience and Wilson.
Eightball’s anthology format both enhances its power and dampens its vibrancy, but the longer works are stunning. Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron is utterly engrossing, pushing the bounds of what it takes for something to be Lynchian and creating a new category, aptly named Clowesian. Ghost World is a remarkable coming of age story with a strong, beating heart at the centre of the story and Caricature deftly questions the purpose of making art.
However, where Eightball stumbles is some of the shorter comedic works. Clowes often overreaches in his critiques, cramming far too much in the space he allocates to express himself. This results in strips such as ‘Chicago’, a good natured ribbing of his hometown, becoming essays with pictures, strangling the pacing of the issue. This is not to say that all the comedic strips are duds. Pussey! is a scathing, focused critique of the comics industry and ‘Needledick’ is just laugh-out-loud fun. As the issues progress, Clowes turns his focus towards longer stories. This marks a major enhancement in his artistry; his pencils on ‘Gynecology’ and ‘Immortal, Invincible’ engage the reader enough for them to truly slow their eyes and breathe in the intricacies and atmospheres of the comics.
It is worth noting that this collection only collects the first eighteen issues and omits the last five issues, which exclusively serialise David Boring, Ice Haven and The Death-Ray. It’s nonetheless a great way to collect Clowes’ work as it includes many of his most famous efforts, although many stories can also be found in individual trade paperback format for those who prefer it. Follow the links for longer reviews of the graphic novels.
