1-800-Mice

Right from the introduction of his dramatis personae, Thurber lets us know that we’re in for just about the most unusual soap opera we could ever hope to follow. Set in and around the fictional environs of Volcano Park, the story in this wildly imaginative graphic novel presents us with a world of creosote addicts, sushi chef assassins, and mice couriers that can go wherever cellphones can’t. It’s a world where one’s love of trees might actually end in marriage, and where great matters or, at least, “ethnomusicological” questions are resolved by banjo contests. The story, not surprisingly, is a maze of interconnected narratives, but despite the dozens of characters we meet, the maze is a blast to follow. Heavy on humor and social satire, Thurber’s story constantly surprises, whether it’s the appearance of a floating Charlie Chaplin head, a killer musical note, or two research biologists working on a temporal distortion of the sex act. Thurber’s at his best experimenting with a wide array of visual techniques none of which get tiresome revealing an artist and storyteller who is wonderfully inventive. (Oct.)