“The Best Comics of 2016 (So Far)” / Vulture / Abraham Riesman / June 28, 2016
Tales about the secret lives of suburbanites can easily become pat condemnations of homogenized culture and small-minded xenophobia, but Beverly wisely avoids all that. In it, Nick Drnaso offers up a series of lightly interconnected short stories, mostly about people from an unnamed town in Illinois. It has its fair share of passive-aggressive confrontations and dark fantasies, but overall, the book feels like a love letter to flatland beauty and bone-deep bonding. The clean lines and strip-mall landscapes invite obvious comparisons to Chris Ware and the slice-of-life minutiae recall Adrian Tomine, but that’s good company to be in. Drnaso’s art and dialogue bring out the joy of quiet observation and everyday tenderness.
