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Things are Meaningless
An odd new look at....life.
“Things are Meaning Less” is the perfect expression of minimalism. In this day
and age of stress, noise, advertisements, vacuous programs eavesdropping of the
lives of the rich, it is refreshing to experience the everyday life of the
ordinary person. Think “American Splendor”. Or perhaps an interesting “blog”
that you frequent and you begin to have an idea of the atmosphere of “Things are
Meaning Less”.
The Story
Al Burian began publishing when one of his friends worked in a print shop and
decided to try to steal as much paper as possible by allowing his friends to
publish independent comics and “zines”. Burian wrote and illustrated “Things are
Meaning Less” while he lived in Providence, Rhode Island, Portland, Oregon and
Chapel Hill, North Carolina and it is based on his life at that time. Top Shelf
Comics is distributing this collection of “stories”.
 
“Things are Meaning Less” does not have an agenda or point to make. It is simply
the life of an ordinary young man making his way through the world. The world
this young man inhabits seems to orbit around a center of boredom. He gets
coffee, visits New York, watches the lights of a nearby power plant, sleeps late
and enjoys the occasional peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He doesn’t work too
much or be terribly concerned about it.
It may seem not much happens in this graphic novel. This is true. But that fact
doesn't make this book any less fascinating. The feeling I experienced often
while reading it was that I was experiencing his life right alongside him. I
found the experience enjoyable. It feels like a “blog’ you might read online but
this one has illustrations.
9/10
The Artwork
The book in a charming design reminiscent of old children's books being wider
than it is tall with quirky and cool black and white illustration. The
artwork found in “Things are Meaning Less” is straightforward, minimal and
amusing. I found it to be the perfect compliment to the simple story.
8/10
There is a quote from Henry David Thoreau that seems to capture the feeling of
“Things are Meaning Less”. That quote is “The mass of men lead their lives in
quiet desperation” Maybe most of our lives wouldn’t seem so ordinary, depressing
or desperate if we only had someone to sit with us and listen to us tell them
what we did today or how we felt. The reader feels like they are pulling up a
chair next to Al Burian, getting a cup of coffee and listening by reading
“Things are Meaning Less”.
Once again, Top Shelf Comics provides an oasis for readers in search of
something out of the ordinary and intriguing.
Suzie Lackey |
