Call Me by Your Name: The Graphic Novel

Cartoonist Maxwell (Phantom Hearts) gives Aciman’s 2007 novel a lush, throwback, and ultra-romantic graphic treatment. In 1980s Italy, 17-year-old Elio welcomes Oliver, his professor father’s houseguest, who is working for the summer as a research assistant while studying for his PhD. Elio is immediately attracted to the handsome student but put off by what he takes to be Oliver’s standoffish attitude. (In particular, his habit of saying “Later” as goodbye, which to Elio sounds as if he “may not care to see or hear from you again.”) The apparent disinterest fuels Elio’s secret obsession. Eventually, both shed their protective shields, and they hook up—the scenes of pulling each other’s clothes “off, and off, and off, and off” are explicitly drawn with “tug,” “kiss,” and “blush.” They go on to form true intimacy, but Elio knows their romantic idyll must end with the summer: “I knew that our minutes were numbered, but I didn’t care to count them.” Maxwell’s visuals emphasize the sun-drenched, beguilingly sensual atmosphere. Her Elio and Oliver look like male leads from vintage romance comics, leaning more cheesecake than relatable, which readers of the novel may find less of a problem with Oliver than with Elio. Still. the story’s heady explorations of desire, passion, and heartbreak remain potent. This offers full-color escapism. (Aug.)