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Haiku by Shin Yu Pai & Comics by Justin Rueff Publication Date: November 11, 2023 Multidisciplinary artists Shin Yu Pai and Justin Rueff have createdย Less Desolate, a stunning haiku comics book exploring Pacific Northwest and pandemic life. Less Desolateย represents an hybrid literary artform that brings together the lyricism and associative qualities of poetry, while also…
POETRY | HAIKU COMICS
ISBN: 979-8-9873352-2-2
Page Count: 224
Dimensions: 6″ tall x 8.5″ wide
Publisher: Blue Cactus Press
Printer: Gray Dog Press
Publication Date: Nov 11, 2023
โLess Desolate is a lovely time capsule of the moments of anxiety, joy, loneliness, anger, and togetherness that COVID brought us, particularly in the Asian American community. With Seattle as a backdrop, many pages felt achingly familiar.โ โ Kiku Hughes, author of Displacement
โLess Desolate is a book of presence, asking readers to breathe into the moments of quiet grace that exist despite the wounds of our world. Paiโs haikus, paired with Rueffโs illustrations, capture the dissonance of living within a city, a pandemic, and a fractured social fabricโwhere the truly courageous choice is to fully be where you are, and find beauty where you stand.โ โ Tessa Hulls, comics artist and poet
โA clarifying gift forโand ofโour pandemic time, Less Desolate merges Shin Yu Paiโs poignant, tender, witty haiku with the linear simplicity of Justin Rueffโs comics. Each page urges us to slow down, to take stock, to break down moments into even smaller moments. Frame by frame, these pages help give us the pauses that we need right now.โ โ Tamiko Nimura, author of We Hereby Refuse
โWhen trying to make sense of new realities, sometimes it takes more than words. In Less Desolate, Shin Yu Pai documents her explorations, thoughts, and memories in a time of isolation, boredom, anxiety, and relentless unknowing. With artwork by Justin Rueff, the illustrations in Less Desolate make these experiences palpable, from a pluck of graying hair to heart pangs felt while looking out a bus window to see blood on the street.โ โ Kelly Froh, Comic artist & Short Run Comix & Arts festival director
โShin Yu Pai and Justin Rueffโs collection of graphic poetry comes across as a book full of quiet charm and likeable quirks that gains in force and becomes a book to reckon with. Less Desolate is full of troubling juxtapositions, ironic incongruities, and even downright contradictionsโall a testament to the chaos of feelings we live with and canโt reconcile. Insecurities, self-deceptions, and tragedy are acknowledged, but hope is given its dueโa tentative, occasionally defiant, and possibly fleeting hope. Politics isnโt given a pass, either, and its commentary here proves that political intelligence doesnโt have to devolve into a noisy and noisome world of shrieking ideologies. Rueffโs ethereal but assured line and Paiโs understated poetic inflections perfectly complement each other. The appropriately titled Less Desolate reminds us how important it is to stay alert to the rhythms of our lives.โ โ Gary Groth, publisher of Fantagraphics
โAn evocative and raw reflection on identity, memory, and the impacts of isolation, Less Desolate is a stunning work that combines the best in poetry and sequential art. Rueff’s expressive art style adds depth and texture to every page, a perfect complement to Pai’s powerful and thought-provoking poetry. Together, they create a moving reminder that moments of beauty and art can emerge from even the darkest of times. An essential addition to the Pacific Northwest reader’s bookshelf, Less Desolate sets a high standard for future works in the interdisciplinary haiku comics genre and will leave an impression long after the final page is turned.โ โ Susanna Ryan, author of Seattle Walk Report: An Illustrated Walking Tour through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods and Secret Seattle: An Illustrated Guide to the Cityโs Offbeat and Overlooked History
โEach illustrated haiku is a unique vignette from Pai’s world, ranging from beautifully mundane, to globally monumental. A mix of life’s daily blessings and concerns, complemented by the gestural, lively lines of Rueff’s sequential art.โโ โ Abrian Curington, visual storyteller and cartographer
โShin Yu Paiโs spare poetry in combination with Justin Rueffโs fluid images are fleeting as thoughts in real time, yet also hyper specific to a particular time, a particular place, a particular emotion. These gentle fragments encapsulate living through the uncertainties brought on by a pandemic, social unrest, and climate change. In the authorโs words, they offer โproof that we were there.” โ Meredith Li-Vollmer, Seattle comics artist
Justin Rueff is an artist, designer and educator. He works as a sign painter, commercial artist and comic book creator. He is the creator of Brother Crow comics and the upcoming romance title, Heroes & Lovers. You can see more of Justinโs work on his Instagram: @justinrueff or at his website at http://www.justinrueff.com.
Weight | 1 lbs |
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Dimensions | 6 × 8.5 in |
Format | Paperback, eBook |