Devotees of artist Lynda Barry marvel at her remarkable ability to recall and recreate authentic details of modern North American childhood. Often hauntingly sad and dark, frequently funny and joyful, Barry's stories represent a masterful fusion of human emotions. Author of books, spoken word and a weekly comic strip entitled "Ernie Pook's Comeek," Barry is a truly multi-talented artist.
"One Hundred Demons" (Sasquatch Books, 2002) is Barry's most recent book, featuring colourful and expressive imagery. The use of collage and authentic snippets of dialogue give the sense that one is stepping straight into Barry's diary or scrapbook. Contrasting with the prevalence of computer-generated images in contemporary commercial art and book design, Barry's messy handwriting is fresh and intimate, inviting readers into her private world. One Hundred Demons may be classified by the term "graphic novel," this in spite of the fact that its subtle storylines, childlike silliness and exuberant humour bears little or no resemblance to the typical violent and shallow superhero fare that dominates the commercial comics market today.
Each story in the book is a rumination on the topic of one of Barry's own "demons," from nasty ex-boyfriends to the phenomenon of hate, from the city of San Francisco to the nebulous American presidential election of 2000. The reader sees the lessons learned by the character of the child Barry through exposure to these demons, and by exorcising them she embarks on a process of healing. The stories depict the process by which children mature and change through the ongoing exposure to traumas both big and small. For example, the story entitled "Dancing" reflects upon the time when, as a teenager, she began to feel self-conscious and could no longer enjoy the freedom of dancing for sheer joy. This seemingly minor phenomenon represents a fundamental shift in her perception of herself and of the world.
Contrary to her forays into fiction, Barry has declared this particular series of comics to be an exercise in what she calls "autobifictionalography," an idealistic mixture of truth and fiction that is more strongly based in the inevitable subjectivity of memory than in any deliberate attempt to fictionalize real life. In a "Series of American Humorists" stage performance aired on Minnesota Public Radio in 2005, Barry described the process by which she crafts this "autobifictionalography." She describes how one may replay a conversation over in one's mind many times. One may imagine and fixate upon the things one might have said until the fictional, idealized version becomes so real that when one retells the story the way it should have happened, "you're not lying!" The imagined truth, the better truth become the only truth one wants to believe in.
Barry's brush-and-ink drawings are childlike, simple and expressive, created with a process that blends her personal style with traditional oriental calligraphy painting. Although many may not grasp the particular naïve charm of her artwork, the writing is sincere and thoughtful, featuring a strong dose of the weird and the wonderful. In fact, it was another famous artist and comedian - The Simpsons creator Matt Groening - who first exposed his college classmate Barry's artwork to the public and encouraged her to pursue cartoons as a viable career.
Through her semi-autobiographical work as well as through her fiction, Barry highlights the particular wisdom present in the child's mind. Fans can enjoy her "Ernie Pook's Comeek" strip on a weekly basis in alternative newspapers. They can also look forward to a book, currently a work in progress, entitled "What It Is."
Sources:
Barry, Lynda. 100 Demons. Sasquatch Books. Seattle. 2002.
Barry, Lynda. MPR Presents: The Series of American Humorists. Minnesota Public Radio. September 25, 2005. St. Paul. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/mpr_presents/
