Holy Lacrimony
Cartoonist: Michael DeForge
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Publication Date: March 2025
Some reviews are difficult because the material is difficult to explain. Holy Lacrimony is a bit difficult to explain and experiencing it is probably best, but this isn’t why I’m having difficulty. Some reviews are harder to situate in the moment, they’re less obviously prescient which is also true of Michael DeForge’s newest book. But, again, this isn’t why I struggled with this review. And the book does feel timely, though time is a hell of a thing right now. This review was hard because, sometimes, you just love an artist so much that you finish one of their books and say to yourself, “Yes. This was good.” The thoughts stop there. It hit the spots you knew it would and you feel satiated. That’s where I am with Holy Lacrimony.
So, imagine me saying this after each paragraph: I’m going to say more than “I liked it.” I’m going to review this book and explain what it is that makes me want you to read it. I’m not the coworker who’s just found out you like comics and suggests a really great book they’ve read, but when you ask what the book is about responds, “It’s just so cool. You’re going to love it.” Deep breath.
This book is really cool, though, and I think you’re going to love it.
DeForge’s newest book deals with a musician named Jackie who gets abducted by aliens because he’s the saddest person in the world. The aliens want to know what it’s like to be sad and, like we all do, consult an expert. The rest of the plot goes through the abduction and Jackie’s eventual return to Earth, which is most of the plot. But plot isn’t really where the fun, the poignant, or the meaningful comes from in this book.
Mostly, the book relies on moments of interaction between Jackie and the aliens and then, later, Jackie and other self-described abductees. These conversations and connections that are made in the art, dialogue, and movement through the comic are truly where the book stands out. From the dialogue between Jackie and the alien Kara, who is the alien studying sadness to perform it for other aliens, to the end of the book landing like an open field of possibility at the end of a long walk through the woods, a lot of the strength of Holy Lacrimony relies on what is being talked around.
Performative emotions, being constantly watched by others, wanting to belong to something (anything), and what true connection means all drip through these pages. Kara’s study of Jackie’s sadness is an excellent example of these ideas while presenting a believable absurdity that an alien race would reach out beyond the stars to learn how to perform an emotion foreign to their existence. It feels deeply connected to our lived experiences, now. We love to watch people perform anger, love, contentment, wealth, joy, interiority, but when we push ourselves to experience the same we inevitably experience them as the messy, imperfect things they are. So we head back to our short videos to see what they are like performed well. We study. We try again. The way DeForge plays with this idea and explores moving beyond it is gorgeous.
This feels ridiculous in the comic, but not too much. In truth, the mirror that the narrative is holding up, albeit a funhouse version, is a powerful look at sections of contemporary life. Thinking about how we present, process, and consume emotion (what a thing to write) is worth the book’s weight all by itself.
Within this absurd is also the comedy of it all. This book, like a lot of DeForge’s work, retains a cool sense of humor and a recognition of the ridiculousness. The people Jackie has group with are all caricatures that I feel I’ve seen people perform many times throughout my life. In the room that Jackie is held captive on the spaceship, there are four slits in the wall. One for eating, one for drink, one that needs to be fed (which, waste maybe? but also I like this think it’s caring for something instead), and the last one for sex. Kara also offers her body because the alien’s study of Earth has concluded that a lot of mentor/apprentice relationships involve sexual acts between the two. This tongue in cheek moment is one of many wonderfully sly comments that DeForge makes throughout to ground the reader in the wild world that’s been created.
Which, because it is DeForge, is made more because of the art. If you’re unfamiliar with DeForge’s art, the best way I can describe it is that there always seems to be something dripping. The world he draws melts in places that are inconsistent but logical. The lines are thin but hold up the immensity of the world. There’s a lot of thinness overall, especially in this book, as the aliens shift their shapes. A lot of the characters feel like they could be absorbed into the space surrounding them, like they’re incidental, yet pointy. This isn’t the best description I admit and there might be those that can do a better job describing it, but to experience DeForge’s art is a bit unique. It feels particularly him, no matter what you read which not only makes his style immediately recognizable but incredible to follow.
The art, too, is incredibly imaginative. The alien ship is a mouth inside a mouth inside a mouth with a lash-like tongue which seems like I copy and pasted that too many times but I swear it’s accurate. These imaginative worlds are presented on pages before/after some benign drawings of a coffee cup on a table, the night sky, or a desolate street. The strangeness next to the regular highlights that strangeness, of course, but there’s a way in which DeForge does it that makes you desire that strangeness more. It doesn’t always feel like something out of the ordinary, but like something you want to be drawn back to. In this book, that shows the deep connection between the ideas/concepts that are being worked on and the art that accompanies it.
At the end of the day, Holy Lacrimony is wonderful book to engage with. The idea of observing and performing emotion resonate so explicitly with our contemporary existence, though maybe not with all the moments of chaos that are currently holding our attention. Still, it’s something powerful and meaningful and worth your time. While Michael DeForge’s art might not be everyone’s cup of tea (this is something told to me once which I refused to believe, yet they stood firm that it was true, yet I remain skeptical), it’s unique and stands out among many books that play their artistic cards a little closer to the chest. If you still find yourself struggling a little, repeat the comment Kara says to Jackie when he wakes up from being abducted, “Hmm! I’ll let you get your bearings.” And you’ll get through it just fine.
Verdict: Get your bearings and dive in
Get your copy of Holy Lacrimony via Drawn & Quarterly
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