Graphic Novel Review: Optometry by Xiang Yata

Optometry by Xiang Yata. Translated by Jerrica Meng, Fish Wang, & Xiang Yata. Driftwood Press, 2023. 97819490065244.

A young woman walks into an optometrist’s office to get a pair of glasses, and he tests her eyes by showing her a series of images, asking what she sees and if it’s clear. This is the start of a surreal, illusive journey that moves through different styles of comics and various media. It reminded me of Alice in Wonderland and Grant Morrison’s most meta comics. It’s beautiful, delightful, and everything about it wowed me.

Included in the back is a conversation with Yata where she discusses the book’s origin and why took her ten years to make.

Worth noting: I continue to fall in love with amazing Table of Contents pages, and this has one of the best. I’ve scanned it to include with the review, so take a look.