Review on The Alcoholic

Score: 4 out of 5

There is something to be said about the perception of professional writers. You know, the whole we are all alcoholic, clinically depressed, and/or drug addicts. And The Alcoholic does nothing to change that mentality. Following the life of washed up writer Jonathon A., The Alcoholic is a sobering tale. No, there is no pun intended. But that is what reading this graphic novel is like.

It is sort of like reading a continuous stand up routine. All of the sad and disheartening moments are laced with comedic moments you feel you shouldn't be laughing at. Some of this is thanks to the artist Dean Haspiel and to just the overall syntax chosen by Jonathon Ames. And while nothing is wrong with something being comedic, I wasn't expecting this sort of strange but true story line. Because as good of a read as The Alcoholic is, the suspension of disbelief gets hard after awhile.

Now don't get me wrong. I am well aware of the difficulty of alcoholism. So, it has nothing to do with the fact that I just can't understand why he doesn't stay sober. No, its more about the situations he tends to find himself. Whether it be running from an elderly lady who wants to have sex with him to Jamaicans who he has seemingly offended, the situations tend to seem somewhat absurd. And while it does help to break up the rather depressive outlook of the plot, it almost always feels like too much at once. It doesn't always feel like comic relief.

Since I've been giving the plot a pretty decent kick in the balls, maybe I should actually go more in depth about it. The Alcoholic begins with our protagonist in a drunk stupor realizing he is in a car with an elderly lady. When cops come to check out the car, Jonathon bolts for some unknown reason why the elderly lady holds off the cops(kind of.) Jonathon decides to hide underneath the boardwalk and partially buries himself in sand. It is from this point that Jonathon begins to trace back his alcoholism to his high school years.

Besides the average “I want to look cool” aspect of getting drunk, Jonathon was more interested in the letting go of inhibitions. With alcohol, and his friend Sal, he was no longer just a face, he was Jonathon the life of the party. It became a ritual, he and Sal would go and do something and drink while doing it. This eventually leads to an awkward sexual encounter between he and Sal.

For the purpose of not giving away all the plot, we pretty much find out Jonathon becomes a successful writer of sorts and, along the way, a pretty awesome screw up and alcoholic and drug user. There is realism tied to his life, like how he reacted to being a New Yorker when 9/11 happened. And its moments like this and his moments with his Aunt Saddie that give the plot a more human element. Which is a hard feat to achieve considering Dean Haspiel's somewhat cartoonish art style.

Do I recommend The Alcoholic? Yes. Despite some of its pitfalls it is still well written, fairly paced, and the art fits the mood trying to be displayed. If you want a sobering tale about alcoholism with soft spots, it will be right up your alley.