{"product_id":"9781770461376","title":"Ant Colony","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eAnt Colony\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Michael DeForge\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBEST OF THE YEAR NODS FROM THE GLOBE \u0026amp; MAILL, AMAZON.COM, QUILL \u0026amp; QUIRE!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The Toronto cartoonist's first full-length graphic novel follows a clutch of misfit ants, trying to maintain some semblance of civilization in the shadow of war. Psychedelically gorgeous, uncomfortably funny.\"-Sean Rogers, \u003ci\u003eGlobe \u0026amp; Mail\u003c\/i\u003e Best Books of 2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe debut graphic novel from a dazzling newcomer with a singular, idiosyncratic style\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the few short years since he began his pamphlet-size comic book series \u003ci\u003eLose\u003c\/i\u003e, Michael DeForge has announced himself as an important new voice in alternative comics. His brash, confident, undulating artwork sent a shock wave through the comics world for its unique, fully formed aesthetic.\u003cbr\u003e     From its opening pages, \u003ci\u003eAnt Colony\u003c\/i\u003e immerses the reader in a world that is darkly existential, with false prophets, unjust wars, and corrupt police officers, as it follows the denizens of a black ant colony under attack from the nearby red ants. On the surface, it's the story of this war, the destruction of a civilization, and the ants' all too familiar desire to rebuild. Underneath, though, \u003ci\u003eAnt Colony \u003c\/i\u003eplumbs the deepest human concerns-loneliness, faith, love, apathy, and more. All of this is done with humor and sensitivity, exposing a world where spiders can wreak unimaginable amounts of havoc with a single gnash of their jaws.\u003cbr\u003e     DeForge's striking visual sensibility-stark lines, dramatic color choices, and brilliant use of page and panel space-stands out in this volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“DeForge always seems utterly in control--from the dreamscape-on-drugs palette of electric blues, acid tangerines and lemon yellows, to the deft world-building worthy of Jack Kirby, to the winged terrors that nod to manga horror master Kazuo Umezu... DeForge is apparently of our species, but as a keen observer of multifaceted behavior, perhaps no cartoonist has a better compound eye.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[\u003ci\u003eAnt Colony\u003c\/i\u003e] is . . . absurd and existential . . . [DeForge] grants no victors and no spoils.” —\u003ci\u003eHarper's Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eAnt Colony\u003c\/i\u003e goes beyond any of his previous work, laying out the psychosexual hang-ups and strange power dynamics of characters who are as deep and complicated as an anthill's network of caves.” —\u003ci\u003eNational Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eAnt Colony\u003c\/i\u003e is a sort of life-during-wartime love story in which the characters happen to be stylized ants, centipedes and spiders inhabiting a world rendered with outsized surreal flair.” —\u003ci\u003eMontreal Gazette\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“With its striking design, strong characters and parallel references to kiddie-fare animal antics and soul-crushing adult decisions, \u003ci\u003eAnt Colony\u003c\/i\u003e is compelling work.” —\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“With an unusual style that is equal parts adorable, grotesque, psychedelic, and earthy, DeForge tells an epic story . . . the hallucinatory imagery works wonderfully with the emotional honestly of the writing to make \u003ci\u003eAnt Colony\u003c\/i\u003e an outstanding spectacle with personality and depth.” —\u003ci\u003eAV Club\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A book this thought-provoking and gorgeous deserves acclaim.” —\u003ci\u003ePaste\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Every so often a book comes along that knocks you flat on your ass and makes you wonder where the hell you've been and why you haven't seen anything like it sooner. \u003ci\u003eAnt Colony\u003c\/i\u003e is exactly that kind of book . . . an intensely charismatic, thoughtful, evocative little world that DeForge has filled with memorable characters, burning philosophical questions, and moments of true humanity that shine through the stylized thoraxes and angled antennae of his kooky creations. The year may be young, but I am confident when I say that this may just be the best graphic novel of 2014.” —\u003ci\u003eNerdist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-listed Booklist Editors' Choice (2015)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781770461376\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Drawn and Quarterly","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40595281182926,"sku":"9781770461376","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_6a78fe83-6273-4649-87a8-e2c27a105446.jpg?v=1637827098","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781770461376","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}