Writer/Artist: Brian Chippendale
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Release Date: February 16, 2016
The first thing you should know about Puke Force, a compilation of Brian Chippendale’s webcomics, is that the cartoonist also comprises half of Lightning Bolt, a fuzzy, processed noise rock group from Providence, Rhode Island, known for experimenting with form. He also played drums on Björk’s Volta album. The second thing you should know is that nearly every page of this graphic novel contains a miniature diagram at the top explaining the order you should read the panels. The directions mostly instruct reading in a snakelike fashion, following the first line left to right, the second right to left, the third left to right, and so on. But there are exceptions. This decision is weird and offputting and aggravating, in much the same way as Lightning Bolt’s music, which could seem like an extended attempt to irritate you into a new state of consciousness.
Even if you dive into the book without knowing any of this, however, Puke Force is strong enough in its own right to captivate your attention and stimulate your brain. The tug of war between enjoyment and provocation is harder to play than it may seem. Many artists working in the avant-garde realm of comics can push the annoyance factor too far, failing to dole out rewards often enough to make the reader stick with it. They may not be all that interested in narrative, focusing instead on pure visual composition. Their stuff is frequently gorgeous, and yet there’s almost no motivation for one to progress to the next page.
