Beautiful colour illustrations in a story about a man who is afraid to commit to having a child. ( )

When his girlfriend Alice says she wants to have his baby, Samuel freaks out and is paralyzed by fear. A year after she has left him, Samuel is overwhelmed by a desire to go see Alice in her new home quite a distance away, and thus begins a life-changing journey marked by fire, friendship, injury, and insight.

This is a rather esoteric read concerned far more with the inner thoughts and existential crisis of the main character than with the slim plot. Symbolism is ripe, both in the text itself and in the abstract artwork that accompanies it. The illustrations are almost jarringly bright at times, and it's unusual to see such full color in a non-mainstream comic. These illustrations are more akin to modern art museum paintings than the cartoon-style drawings associated with comics popular in the U.S.

If you're a mature reader looking for an out-of-the-norm graphic novel, this title is a contender. But if you prefer plot or character exploration over the inner workings of one person's midlife crisis, then you'd be better off with something other than this book. ( )