How would you live with nothing but your name?
Manel Naher wants out. In a world where your name is currency, it's tough to
make ends meet. It's even tougher when you share a name with a rising pop
star. The city is unbearable - endless high-rises, social climbers left and right,
and nothing but names as far as the eye can see. But Manel is looking a little
bit farther, just beyond the horizon, and she's even convinced her buddy Ali of
how much more could be lying in wait right outside city limits.
When a sudden heart attack induced by diminished name recognition foils
Manel's plans, gradual change becomes a catalyst for a complete lifestyle
overhaul. This stylish, absurd comedy of contemporary manners skewers the
human condition in persistent self-promo. Sharp, architectural lines are
accented by decisively mellow hues, building a humorously grim world
unexpectedly bathed in nothing but light.
An exciting debut from a fresh perspective, The Great Beyond showcases
newcomer Lea Murawiec's command of comics language and satirizes a
sprawling metropolis, its politics, and its extraordinary inhabitants.
Translated by Aleshia Jensen.
Lea Murawiec is an avid manga fan who began making her own comics at a
very young age. She studied graphic design at the Ecole Estienne and later
shifted her focus to comics at the Ecole europeenne superieure de l'image in
Angouleme. She is the co-founder of Editions Flutiste, an independent small
press spotlighting emerging cartoonists.
Aleshia Jensen is a Montreal-based translator and former bookseller. She
has previously translated a novel by Quebec author Mathieu Poulin as well as
several graphic novels.
Drawn & Quarterly
On Sale: Oct 10/23
12.2 x 9 • 208 pages
Full-color illustrations throughout
9781770466777 • $39.95 • pb
Comics & Graphic Novels / Literary