Review: The Dogyard Melodrama of "MUSH!"

Image ©2011 First Second: Art by Joe Infurnari

*Note: this is the unedited version of a review originally done for The Anchorage Press that appears in the June 14-21 issue (Vol. 21, Ed. 24) now with bonus supplemental hyperlinks). Special thanks to Joe for the email exchange.

“Mush! Sled Dogs With Issues” 

Glenn Eichler and Joe Infurnari, 2011 First Second 

   Not many graphic novels ever get pitched on The ColbertReport, but author Glenn Eichler is also an Emmy Award-winning comedy writer for the show, along with stints with Rugrats, Beavis and Butthead and others. In this graphic novel he serves as double lead-dog with Canadian-born artist Joe Infurnari in a story about a dog team and their two humans. Anthropomorphic projection onto talking cartoon animals has long been a hallmark of the medium, and something that a majority of Alaskans can easily relate to, but this book combines canine commentary with behavioral traits that assume deeper dimensions than the usual Garfield tropes. Pack dynamics and interpersonal psychology are interspersed with cut-aways into their human counterparts, with emotional issues and petty politics that will be familiar to anyone living and working with animals (human or otherwise).

   Publisher First Second has been making a name for itself in alt-indie comics ever since it’s flagship release of Eddie Campbell’s meta-biography “The Fate of the Artist” in 2006. If that title was the company’s benchmark for intellectual content, “Mush!” is a couple channels over representing soap-opera slapstick (think in the classical tradition of Apartment 3-G or Rex Morgan, M.D. but set in the Bush). And as is more often the case, using critters as stand-ins or a simulacrum reveals more insights about the human condition than any straight fictional narrative would accomplish. And what better characters than this gang, as Dolly, Guy, Buddy, Venus, Winston and Fiddler mull over the meaning of life (“Any thoughts vis-à-vis going on a run?”) and what “mental masturbations” must occur to a sled-dog. The punctuated equilibrium of down-time routine is fertile ground to explore through conversation and gossip around the water-cooler - or in this case, the water-bowl. Complicated relationships are turned into an existential chew-toy over matters of mating, and teamwork is constantly undermined by territorial pissings… sound familiar?

Image ©2011 First Second: Art by Joe Infurnari

   One exceptional aspect of this book is the artwork of Infurnari, whose loose, sketchy linework, using a japanese manga quill pen, lends a spontaneity to the drawings that thoroughly suits the subject matter. This is in part due to his creating the artwork at 100% print scale, as opposed to the usual industry standard practice of drawing at twice the size that it will be reproduced. Which according to correspondence with Infurnari, gives “some sense of potential energy in the drawing” and a more “lively and spontaneous” look to the art. His crosshatching and rich textures are balanced out with a pastel palette that captures the environment of both winter and wood, and every page has varied and interesting panel compositions in perfect synch with the rhythm of the story. “Mush!” is also illustrative in how it seamlessly blends traditional hand-drawn elements with contemporary digital treatments, as in the computer coloring, which retains an organic flavor not usually seen in comics. Overall these manual touches make for an overall “real” look for the book, as opposed to the stereotypical superhero fodder that most readers are anesthetized to.

   What makes the individual personalities in the cast of characters really come alive is attention paid to non-verbal elements, such as subtle details in the range of postures and expressions, and other quiet “beats” in the storytelling that connect with the reader. Of particular note is the dialogue, from novel sound effects and onomatopoeia, to subtle touches like the visually gruffy speech balloons for the dogs, and the hilariously undecipherable “wharrgarble” from their point of view on what people sound like.

   “Mush!” is much more of a hairy and honest portrayal of mushing than the glossy centerfold version of the professional sport that Alaskans are inundated with every season. This book should be enshrined in the outhouse as required and repeat reading for any aficionado – check your local independent comic shop or library for a copy.

Image ©2011 First Second: Art by Joe Infurnari