Graphic Novel Review: The Butchery by Bastien Vivès

Posted on May 3, 2022 at 5:51 am by Gene Ambaum

The Butchery by Bastien Vivès. Translated by Jenna Allen. Fantagraphics, 2021. 9781683964476. 86pp.

The story of a relationship from its wondrous beginning right through to its terrible end, told in realistic scenes and metaphors like soldiers about to parachute into combat and (trigger warning?) outright assault. Almost nothing is explained in detail but if you’ve ever been through a painful breakup, you’ll be able to fill in the blanks. This is an amazing book that exemplifies how a comic creator can effectively use layout, white space, and different levels of detail in drawings.

If you have an adult graphic novel collection, buy this and Vivès’ The Grand Odalisque, which he co-created with Ruppert and Mulot. They’re both hilarious and poetic and beautiful, though the latter book has more robberies.