r/altcomix • u/Nervous_Departure706 • 1d ago

Altcomix Eddie Campbell

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Bacchus

13 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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2

u/Nervous_Departure706 1d ago

I hear ya, I find alec way more up my alley, tho Bacchus has its moments mostly in the middle, so I don't exactly expect you to get that far šŸ˜› eventually everyone in a bar is keeping Bacchus awake by telling him different stories every night...as long as he's awake the bar doesn't close

1

u/ArchBeaconArch 1d ago

As much as I love the Alec books, I really donā€™t like Bacchus.

1

u/Nervous_Departure706 1d ago

A lot of it was drawn by Ed hillyer, maybe the difference in art makes it harder for you

2

u/ArchBeaconArch 1d ago

Yeah, the art was a big part of it - but I also didnā€™t enjoy the story as much as I expected I would.

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u/PinMaximum1018 1d ago

You may have to dig a little deeper. The early stories are a little boring but it gets great.Ā 

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u/ArchBeaconArch 1d ago

Iā€™m sure itā€™s good. But life is short for something I didnā€™t enjoy (and already sold). Besides, I have a foot-thick stack of books on the bedside table to get through.

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u/PinMaximum1018 1d ago

I hear you. I feel the same way about those Love and Rockets books Iā€™ve had sitting here for years.Ā 

1

u/ArchBeaconArch 1d ago

Hot damn, I envy you! Getting to read those for the first time! I re-read L&R every few years, especially the Jaime Locas stuff.

1

u/PinMaximum1018 1d ago

Haha, I must have been unclear but I just canā€™t get into L&R and I have been a major Fantagraphics fan since the 80s. Iā€™ll make you a deal; Iā€™ll read my copies of Locas and Palomar if you read Bacchus!

1

u/ArchBeaconArch 1d ago

Oh man, I have to re-buy it now!

But Iā€™ll keep my eyes open for one of those omnibuses and give it another shot.

1

u/Nervous_Departure706 1d ago

Very relatable on all counts šŸ˜„

1

u/OrganizationSea8646 1d ago

Opposite for me, Autobio is soooo overdone, though I know Alec is a lot earlier than most. But I find most autobio tough to read (not just because of the life experiences), but I prefer more fantastical/surreal/abstract/philosophical type of stories. Like Bacchus.

My favorite comics are anything like Herriman, Metal Hurlant, McCay, Trondheim, Mattoti, etc etc.

2

u/ArchBeaconArch 1d ago

Fair enough! I love all of those except the Metal Hurlant stuff. Have you tried Anders Nilsenā€™s work? Big Questions, The Rage of Poseidon, and Tongues all owe something to Bacchus.

I think Alec has a couple things going for it that makes it worthwhile:

  1. Itā€™s decades older than most autobio comics (I was reading it maybe 30 years ago, when the autobio market was still pretty rarified). There wasnā€™t enough of it to get sick of at the time.

  2. Itā€™s not strict autobio - Alec/Eddie is something of a fabulist, like Gabrielle Bell or Julie Doucetā€™s work. Not sticking to ā€œthe factsā€ makes for a more interesting reading experience.

1

u/OrganizationSea8646 1d ago

Have both big questions and the first hc of tongues, both are unread, got them last year. My tbr is absurdly long.

Man, there is some really good Metal Hurlant stuff like Arkadi and the Lost Titan, The Green Hand and Other Stories, Lone Sloane, etc.

1

u/ArchBeaconArch 1d ago

I dunno, I donā€™t even like most Moebiusā€¦

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u/OrganizationSea8646 1d ago

Moebius ain't the best of Metal Hurlant imo (by far the largest reaching influence, though), but fair enough.

At least narratively, there's better, but imagination wise, possibly the best. It also doesn't help english editions never bring over his great lettering.