Holy Lacrimony - by Michael Deforge (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Jackie is the 'saddest living person in the entire world'... according to a mysterious team of alien abductors. To these extraterrestrial shape-shifters, he is an emotional superstar, his misery by far superseding his earthly musical celebrity. Hoping to master this quintessential human emotion, they force him to perform his sadness over and over again. Until just like that, he is returned to his old life. Trying to comprehend what happened, he joins an alien abductee support group. But as each person tells their story, Jackie realizes he may never know"--

Book Synopsis

The post-alien abduction trauma memoir we've all been waiting for

"Ah, there's that famous lip quiver!" says Jackie's abductor and student. Jackie has been determined to be the "saddest living person in the entire world" by a mysterious team of alien abductors. His earthly musical celebrity is nothing compared to his emotional superstar status in the eyes of these curious and peculiar shape-shifters. Jackie is forced to perform his sadness over and over again on command, so his captors can study and master this very puzzling, very human emotion. Until just like that, Jackie is returned to his old life. Trying to comprehend what has happened, he joins a support group. It's a sea of conspiracy theorists, emotional vampires, and simpatico "real" abductees. As each person tells their story, he realizes he may never know.

Holy Lacrimony is classic DeForge-oscillating between shockingly dirty, casually funny and earnestly engaged in the socio-politics of his fictive worlds. Part abstract shape blending and part hieroglyphic storytelling, each image is a discrete and tightly designed object of beauty that never loses the forward motion of the best personal cartooning. DeForge continues to prove that he's the single most innovative and empathetic cartoonist in the past twenty years.

Review Quotes

"A new release from Michael DeForge should be met with trumpet blasts across the length and breadth of the book world." --The New York Times

"DeForge's often hilarious, sometimes cutting satire is made more impactful by the sense he's driven less by anger than compassion for those trapped in absurd, faltering systems. Not to be missed." --Library Journal, Starred Review

About the Author

Michael DeForge draws comics and posters in Toronto.