Review - How to Love by Actus Comics
This book of short graphic fiction features members of the Israeli collective Actus Comics, one member of which, Rutu Modan, authored the superior graphic novel “Exit Wounds” earlier. In “How to Love,” Modan examines the relationship between a down and out Israeli musician and his American fan in “Your Number One Fan,” a depiction of love as a thing required to survive even beyond the confines of an actual relationship. In Motan’s tale, Eitan Shabtai learns that he might have to take adoration where he can find it — the age old lesson of any creative person, you can’t control who likes your work and you have to settle for the love they give you because that’s the love you’re getting.
Modan’s story is a good example of the way the creators interpret the loose framing device of love — or as the back of the book puts it, “unconventional facets of love.” The gloomy relationship between musician and fan is only one stop on a multi-faceted road.
Batia Kolton’s “Summer Story” examines the relationship between cousins — one coming-of-age and the other flaunting her newfound sexuality with the kind of bravura and subtlety that accompanies the enthusiasm of this new toy, the ability to turn heads. Touching on similar themes, Mira Friedmann’s “Independence Day” follows a young girl who wants to impress a boy with the ultimate misadventure — crossing the border into Palestine and using a strong political statement as an outrageous romantic one instead. Meanwhile, Yirmi Pinkus’ pantomime “8:00 to 10:00” jets to the other end of the spectrum, quietly presenting moments unfolding that belong to the self prior to the entrance of the lover.
The book also offers two illustrated short stories (rather than comic form) — David Polonsky’s absurdly hilarious “L’Elixier D’Amour,” which follows the fairy tale adventures of an old Don Juan style lover as he explains his amorous energy, and Itzik Rennert’s “Love Love Love,” a first-person recollection of a string of meaningless, awful, selfish, isolated and surreal relationships.
Throughout the book, the creators offer no big statements on the topic, but small examinations, isolated incidents that offer little truths that perhaps anyone can identify with.
These are mature and literate storytellers in peak form, words coupled with breathtaking visuals, elevating the graphic storytelling to yet another level.
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