Her work is celebrated for its distinctive visual style and its profound, often introspective themes. The author delves into the exploration of the human psyche and interpersonal relationships through evocative narratives. Her artistic approach is characterized by bold experimentation with both form and content, pushing the boundaries of traditional comic storytelling. Readers appreciate her ability to capture complex emotions and thought processes.
Megan Kelso's collection showcases her earliest stories, highlighting her distinctive artistic style and narrative voice. These works reveal her exploration of themes such as identity, relationships, and the complexities of modern life. Through a blend of humor and poignant moments, Kelso captures the nuances of human experience, making her early creations both relatable and thought-provoking. This compilation serves as an essential introduction to her evolution as a storyteller and artist.
Prior to cartoonist Megan Kelso's long-awaited 2022 release, Who Will Make the Pancakes, Kelso spent six years creating her first long-form graphic novel, 2010's Artichoke Tales. The book, a fantastic family saga spanning three generations and an entire continent, was a critical smash named to many "Best of 2010" lists. Fantagraphics is proud to bring this perennial classic back in print with a new paperback edition. Artichoke Tales is a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Brigitte whose family is caught between the two warring sides of a civil war. It takes place in a world that echoes our own, but whose people have artichoke leaves instead of hair. Influenced in equal parts by Little House on the Prairie, The Thorn Birds, Dharma Bums, and Cold Mountain, Kelso weaves a moving story about family amidst war. Kelso's visual storytelling uniquely combines delicate linework with rhythmic page compositions, creating a dramatic tension between intimate, ruminative character studies and the unflinching depiction of the consequences of war and carnage, lending cohesion and resonance to a generational epic.
by Megan KelsoThe Squirrel Mother is Megan Kelso's second collection of graphic short stories, all of which originally appeared in various magazines and anthologies between 2000 and 2005. Kelso's work is characterized by subject matter that fits roughly into two disparate camps: personal and semi-autobiographical stories that draw heavily on the details of her childhood and adolescence, and stories about the idea of America and American history, such as a trilogy of short pieces about Alexander Hamilton. The Squirrel Mother features 15 stories, including two stories, "Meow Face" and "Aide de Camp" done especially for this volume.
