Broken Frontier

AdHouse Books brings Josh Cotter’s award-winning mini-comics to their deserved wider audience, with this stunning collection of the first two issues.

Several stories make up this first issue. A boy riddled with jealousy, an abusive father, a kindly grandmother and many other characters come together in stories that are full of both poignancy and social commentary. All the stories, in the end, drive home the harsh reality of life.

Cotter’s stories range from a simple laugh to real emotional power in their impact. The unifying aspect of every story, though, is that his work is incredibly relatable. Even if you weren’t the kid that everyone picked on or didn’t live with abusive parents, he knows how to touch on universal emotions so that everyone can relate to his characters’ feelings. Further, he uses metaphors brilliantly, particularly in the story entitled "Going to Grandma’s." The humor involved in this book is largely what one would term dark humor. Certain aspects of the book are funny, but they also have a point behind them, often a very powerful, relevant point. Cotter most notably uses such metaphors in his shorter pieces and he uses a vast supply of literary tools to make this book a truly thoughtful read.

Some of the most important aspects of Skyscrapers actually come in the form of prose. Cotter’s fake advertisements and letter columns, not to mention his playful copyright, provide both a further look into the story and some rather derisive commentary on cigarettes and other social establishments. AdHouse should be credited for not removing these pieces from the original mini-comics, as they are the icing on the cake that makes Skyscrapers something special.

Speaking of special, Cotter does an absolutely incredible job with the art. His style, heavy on pencil strokes, is very unique and eye-catching. He does not use humans for his stories, but rather robots and cats. The decision is a strange one, given the very human tone of the book, but it works perfectly. The robots, in particular, work as a very smooth and effective allegory for humanity. Cotter also has a wonderful sense of tone, changing the scenery from light to dark at the perfect time every time.

AdHouse Books has hit another home run by picking up Cotter and his wonderful series. Cotter himself proved long ago that his talent deserved this larger format. I hope that his talent will be on more frequent display in the form of a semi-regular ongoing series from AdHouse. Skyscrapers of the Midwest is truly a must-read for any fan of independent comics.

-Eliot Johnson