Comic, Sophie Yanow, Colosse / Export, collectioncolosse.com, $5
When I opened my package of zines from Broken Pencil, oddly enough, a half naked image of an old friend who moved to Montreal stared back at me. For this reason, and many others, Sophie Yanow’s stories hit close to home and parallel my own Montreal experience during the summer of 2011: a summer of bikes, doom metal and punk shows (possibly at Death Church, the residence, venue, skill share open space) social justice activism and couch surfing all over town. One thing I particularly liked about In Situ no. 2 was Sophie’s capacity to capture the atmosphere, mood and phrasing that encompass a moment. In the comic 01.21.12 where she and her partner N lay in bed, they have a sudden impulse to listen to Joni Mitchell. Upon hearing Joni’s phallically suggestive phrasing of the length of a River, N says, “what is this self-made lesbian hell?” I felt a pang nostalgia, realizing Sophie had perfectly captured their infections and tone in written script and visual expression. Sophie has a skill for capturing the mannerisms of people, while maintaining a minimalist nuanced style. In Situ is a fitting title for this comic zine series; her recollections are raw and emotionally expressive, offering an insightfully voyeuristic perspective into her everyday anxieties, relationships, hobbies and habits. (Andrew Melanson)