Cornelius: The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog #[nn]

Marc Torices brings us Cornelius, a dog with the bearing of a world-weary philosopher — depicted here in soft, luminous painterly tones, gazing sideways against a dreamy sky of drifting clouds, dressed in a red sweater with a neat collar. The subtitle "The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog" perfectly captures the gentle contradiction at the heart of this Drawn & Quarterly release: a creature caught somewhere between contentment and melancholy, rendered with real warmth and wit. If you're drawn to graphic storytelling that wears its heart on its sleeve without being precious about it, Cornelius looks like a very good companion.