Paul Has a Summer Job

Rabagliati`s strip Paul: Apprentice Typographer was one of the highlights of 1999`s Drawn & Quarterly anthology, and his first comic book Paul in the Country won the 2000 Harvey award for Best New Talent. This, his first graphic novel, is eagerly anticipated by comix connoisseurs who enjoy a sweet, unsentimental story about being a teenager and Rabagliati’s crisp retro-modern 1950s drawing style. This book continues the story of Paul, a Quebecois teenager in the 1970s, as he experiences the first conflicts of responsibility with his desire to be free. Paul is outraged that he is forced to stop his high school art training. But he’s been asked to put art aside because his other grades are so terribly low. Defiant, he quits school and anticipates a summer of leisure. But instead Paul follows the path of so many Quebecois teenagers: he lands a job as a counselor at one of the many summer camps in the mountains outside the city. There he finds himself guiding a motley band of kids, misfits and troublemakers, much like himself.Publishers WeeklyHigh school dropout Paul is working a miserable job printing raffle tickets at a Montreal print shop, well on his way to becoming a slacker, when he lands a gig at a summer camp for underprivileged kids. Will the spoiled city boy learn a lot about life and himself over the course of the summer? Before September, Paul will fall in love, learn how to rock climb and discover that not only can he deal with kids, but that having them grow to love and trust him is a great reward. It's all a bit After School Special, but it charms nonetheless. As Paul chases snakes out of his tent, meets cute co-counselor Annie and learns how to get the children to behave, readers keep waiting for the dramatic story to start. But suddenly the book ends, a warm summer memory of long-ago bonding. A contemporary epilogue skillfully and satisfyingly ties up the story's loose ends, showing how far Paul's come in 20 years. Rabagliati is a relative newcomer to comics, having spent most of his career as a graphic designer, and his art shines. It's highly reminiscent of the rounded, cartoony style of Peter Arno and other great New Yorker cartoonists, and Rabagliati has a sure sense of storytelling and the ability to strip even complicated emotions down to just a few lines. Originally published in French, the work is on the lighter side, but teens and adults who attended camp will find much to relate to. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.