While the suspense has just revealed who will be the next president of the United States, it is the perfect time to discover this unique comic book by James Sturm, published by Delcourt, about a man whose life is totally disrupted by the election of Trump in 2017.
A life that collapses
In 2016, while the United States was plunged into a tense presidential campaign, a construction worker, Mark, saw his couple collapse. This banal man is plunged into a personal crisis. Mark not only lost his wife but he also had to sell his van, his work tool. However, this period paradoxically allows him to recreate links in his family. In this animal story, the intimate life of a man and that of the nation break at the same time. Politics is so pervasive that it becomes pervasive, as shown by the narrator's journey to the supermarket: election posters, political commentary on car radios, stickers on cars and finally activists in the parking lot. Even Mark's daughter tells him about it in the car, because she is being hired by his wife.
An author to follow
Off-season is the author's third book after America and Market Day, which dealt with the place of the Jewish religion in American history. The writer and cartoonist continues his atypical career with this biography in comics. The book is distinguished by its little used Italian format. James Sturm's very precise drawing exudes a childish atmosphere close to the style of the clear line that contrasts with the background. This refinement is reinforced by the choice of a colorization in shades of gray. Behind a simple layout, the author actually offers two stories: the text above does not always follow the image.
Another America
We also discover another vision of America. Far from the endless villas or rich apartments of most series, James Sturm shows the complicated life of a worker in a country with growing inequalities. Mark can no longer stand the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie who call for Bernie to vote but pays the workers late. He works hard while his employer takes his daughter on horseback riding. He also suffers class contempt in his relationship because his future ex-wife comes from a wealthy family. James Sturm creates with Hors-saison a unique work both in form and content. He forcefully affirms his sense of concision by moving in a few boxes from a very romantic meeting to the current breakup. His anti-hero crosses adivorcee's heart of the cross and, through everyday elements, he plunges the reader into the complexity of today's America. Discover our advice on Delcourt outings.
