Please Release
Top Shelf needs to put out crappier comics. It’s no fun when I can’t do anything but praise their books. There, you’ve just read the biggest complaint I have about this book, such as it is. This is a collection of 4 stories by Nate, and I can’t think of the last time 4 stories in a comic connected with me emotionally as much as these did. First up is The Phantom Form, which deals with constantly moving from place to
place, saying goodbyes and trying to remember the value of constantly being on the move rather than settling down. Next up is The Old Haunts, where Nate deals with coming down after seeing a horror movie while also being completely alone and unable to sleep. It’s a bit more introspective than all that, going into little things like how the height from the bed to the floor stays mostly the same from when you were a kid, but you get the idea. Work At It is the story that hit me the hardest, as it’s essentially a day in his life as an assistant to developmentally disabled adults, something I did in some form or another
for years. Nate goes over the extreme highs and lows of the jobs beautifully, as well as dealing with the perception that he’s not doing much real good when looking at the big picture but still feeling essential in their day to day life. Or maybe I’m projecting a bit.
Finally there’s Seriously, where Nate tries to reconcile the meaning of still being a punk at 27 with the option of just being another generic has-been. When is it time to give up on that lifestyle and “grow up”?
He had already mostly stopped going to concerts, but what about the rest of it? It also goes into Nate teaching a bunch of young kids (8-14ish) about comics and marveling at their constant, effortless creativity. This comic is brilliant, plain and simple. It’s one of those rare reads that sticks in your head, forcing you to pick over choices made in your own life and where things are headed. Buy it already. $5
