Reading “Wilson”, the latest graphic novel by Daniel Clowes (author of “Ghost World“), feels a lot like picking at a scab. You know you should just leave it alone, but you can’t help yourself. The eponymous character is simultaneously a misanthrope and desperate for human contact. His time is spent striking up conversations with strangers in parks and coffee shops in search of some connection, only to end up ridiculing them. Wilson is fairly despicable, but you can’t help seeing yourself in him as his story meanders from tragedy to tragedy.

The art is amazing, as Clowes switches up the style and graphic approach from chapter to chapter. Newspaper cartoon style morphs into beautifully detailed ink brush and the colors range from monochrome to pastel.

We read this after discovering the profoundly weird and dirty “Like A Velvet Glove Cast in Iron“, which you should definitely check out after reading Wilson!

Daniel Clowes photo by Sean Dejecacion