«The Fool, the Absolute Mad Woman» is a thriller with a style and a sensuality that pulls the reader in.
This text was previously published in Norwegian. It has been translated into English to mark the graphic novel’s launch in physical format. You can read the Norwegian text here.
Alea falls in love with a woman she sees in the city. She encounters this mysterious, strange woman in many places, but does not dare to contact her. A friend reads Alea’s fortune in tarot cards, and she draws «The Fool», the card mentioned in the title. It represents someone who does not know where the road leads but is willing to take the chance to find out what might happen. Alea has previously studied the occult, and she sets out to find out where the road leads her. The ritual she performs has unforeseen consequences for both her and the mystery woman.
The story of Alea and Kaitlynn initially seems like a regular love story, with traditional dating activities like going to a cafe, walking in the park, shopping and painting ceramics together. But gradually it becomes clear that both Kaitlynn and Alea each have their own dark secrets and that they are not as traditional a couple as they seem.
Vivian Nguyen, who goes by the username LaweyD on social media, has made what she calls a lesbian thriller, and used Kickstarter to finance a physical edition of the graphic novel. It was fully funded in less than 24 hours and raised nine times the money needed to complete the project. These are impressive numbers.
LaweyD is one of several Norwegian comics creators who are financing and publishing their comics this way.
The graphic novel doesn’t have much text, so much of the suspense can be found in the illustrations, especially in small details. This means that an inexperienced reader may struggle a little. The graphic novel is worth the «work» of reading it, it’s good to be challenged a little.
«The Fool, the Absolute Mad Woman» is illustrated in black, white, and shades of grey, just like a traditional manga. This does not mean that the comic follows all the manga «rules». It’s common in manga to use dark ink and clear lines around each character and element in a panel, but Nguyen mostly uses short and light pencil strokes, giving both the illustrations and the story a wonderful flow.
I am delighted with the artwork of this comic; like how sensually the artist can draw a neck and a back. The style, the visuals and the portrayal of the women reminds me of fashion artwork from the 1950s and 1960s. It was very common to show new outfits in illustrated form back then, and especially the works of illustrator Rene Gruau and designer Cristobal Balenciaga have some of the same visual qualities that can be found in «The Fool». Whether this is what inspired Nguyen, I do not know, but the result is a beautiful graphic novel in any case. It looks sweet and sensual, but at the same time, the drama and darkness lie in the shadows, waiting to emerge.
The Fool, the Absolute Mad Woman
By Vivian Nguyen
134 pages
Starting price £ 19 (physical copy)
Self-published
