Dance Naked
comic zine, Rebecca Roher, rebeccaroher.com
Comprised of several comics and illustrations spanning from 2013 till 2017, the work in Rebecca Roher’s Dance Naked comes in a variety of styles, and covers vastly different subjects. At first glance, a canoe trip with a moose skull, a coming out story, and advice from a centenarian may not necessarily seem all that similar, but Roher’s gentle lines and compassionate voice bring them all together.
The zine’s two longer comics, “Bones on The River,” and “100-Year-Old Wisdom with Lawrence,” both see an interaction with something (and my apologies to the elderly for this comparison) old. The shared experience of transporting a moose skull (soon named Jerry) brings the members of the canoe trip together, the shared appreciation for the object providing a goal (to see the skull through to the end of the trip) and later a place of veneration. Similarly, “Wisdom with Lawrence” deals with seeking an answer: how does one live to 98? What was it along the way that led to a position of veneration? Perhaps there’s no real answer, but Roher’s vibrant watercolours make Lawrence’s story all the more impactful. Lawrence is sought for answers, but he doesn’t really have any. He doesn’t really need to.
The shorter comics in the zine all perfectly capture the moods of the moments they depict. My favourite, “Coming Out” sees Roher announce to her family that she’s going to be a cartoonist, her father’s nervous tie-fixing alleviated when she tells him, “You know, dad, like Art Spiegelman,” only to have him excitedly consider the possibilities. “Fireworks” and “Hair Power” both capture something simple — the marvel of fireworks, the strange logic of childhood.
Dance Naked is a collection of another’s moments that make you remember your own, a collection of quick trips through fond memories.
Written by Graham Sigurdson