Hey! We are here for a, "better late than never" edtion of Do You Even Comic. This time I am talking about an alternative comic classic "Black Hole," by Eisner award winner Charles Burns. The story came out in 1995 and was released as a 12 issue series by Kitchen Sink, then re-released by Fantagrpahics.
The Story
Black Hole takes places during the mid 70's in the suburbs of Seattle. The story follows four teenagers and switches between their lives as their summer goes on. There is a mysterious sexually transmitted disease called "the teen plague" and "the bug," that gives people unique physical mutations. The focus is on the lives and relationships of teens as reality hits them with issues that will only continue as they grow up in this world.
Why this book?
No, I did not read this is 1995 nor did I even know about it in 2005 when the hardcover came out. But that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Black Hole felt like a sci-fi period piece that had ageless themes and didn't matter that it wasn't set in contemporary times. The art and writing are strong and immediately engaging. I like reading books about feeling and no matter what the metaphor is Charles Burns nails it.
I picked up Black Hole because, well because I kept seeing it places. It was on lists of books to see it was on shelves of comic shops. I finally had to give it a shot and I am so glad I did. Charles Burns has both a unique voice and bold art style that grows on you the more you read. This was such a great path to finding a new dark writer.
If this sounded like a book for you then get it here:
