The Margins Graphic Novel – A Review

The Margins is a graphic novel published by Fanbase Press, written by David Accampo and Paul Montgomery, and illustrated by Amanda Donahue.

Please check out the links at the bottom for your chance to pre-order a copy of The Margins.

And look for Fanbase Press in San Diego at Comicon International, they will be joined by the creatives from The Margins.

The Two Gay Geeks received a pre-release review copy, as well as having purchased a copy.

The Margins is not your typical graphic novel. There are multiple styles of writing and illustration going on all at the same time, and even multiple story lines. Or is it? The book starts right in the middle of what appears to be a retro sci-fi space novella complete with crude pencil drawings and typed pages, as in typewriter font. And then in the middle of the middle it switches to present day and very clean black and white frames telling the story. As the pages and story progress we are treated to some really stylized multi-colored artwork telling us about a fantastical realm. The rest of the book blends all of these together to tell the tale of getting lost in the margins of the story.

Simon Gardner Kent’s great grandson, Gordon “Gordy”, has discovered, locked away in the attic of the familial home, his journals of a fantastic far off place. Apparently his wife hid them away when he vanished, leaving her pregnant. Gordy is drawn to the journals and starts obsessively writing supplements, but needs an artist to illustrate the text. Enter Charley, a young woman who has just relocated to Portland with her girlfriend Rita. Charley embarks on illustrating while Rita works on finding a spot for her food cart. Soon Charley becomes obsessed with the illustrations and begins dreaming of mystical creatures. Without giving too much more away, let’s say things take an interesting turn as each character’s world begins to collide with the others.

There are multiple writing styles used from Lovecraftian prose to current day vernacular, with a healthy dose of the combination of the two. It is a fun read going from one style to another with the illustrations following the writing style. The artwork is incredible throughout, from the crude pencil drawings to the black and white frames, but when you get to the fantastical realm is when Donahue’s work is truly stunning. Of course, there are some real treats in the blending of the worlds where black and white frames have color elements to great effect.

The story is somewhat unusual, but I have always been drawn to the unusual and this story certainly gets my imagination going. There is a certain natural progression to the story with plot twists to keep you on your toes. You might say this is a fun “sci-chological” melodrama with a hint of humor, if that makes any sense. It is well worth the read, and there is even what appears to be a “cliff-hangery” ending. Hmmm… Is there more story to be told in the margins?

More Info:

Facebook: The Margins

You can still pre-order a copy at Fanbase Press via this link

Connect with the Creatives:

Twitter:
David Accampo
Paul Montgomery

Listen to the interview we did with Paul Montgomery and Amanda Donahue here.

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