by Francesca Cassavetti
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Francesca Cassavetti has a lovely, smooth cartooning style and a wonderful line in gentle storytelling. Her cartooning really is a delight in every one of her comics I’ve seen. And this is no exception.
Sole Searching is a mini comic all about shoes. Now, even though I’m male, I do understand the near obsessional desire surrounding shoes. In many ways it’s just like music, comics or books……. Oh, wait, that’s a fib. I just don’t understand it at all, never have. But after reading Sole Searching I’m just that little bit closer to understanding the shoe thing.
But whether you understand the shoe thing or not, Sole Searching has some great strips from Cassavetti. It all opens with a cautionary tale that shoes can bring great pain as well as great happiness – where one stray lace can lead to a hospital trip and various broken bones. From there I learnt that it’s it’s bad luck to step in dog poo with the right shoe. Left shoe fine, right shoe unlucky. Go figure.
But the absolute highlight is Cassavetti’s fond look at her daughter’s life in shoes, from birth through to adulthood; wellies, jellies, trainers with lights, sandals, heels and flats – all life laid out in footwear. It’s funny, sentimental cartooning, that had me smiling all the way through.
Sole Searching, just like Cassavetti’s other comics, is available from her online shop. If you didn’t already know, I’m not promising you’ll come away with the secret of what makes shoes just so desirable, but you’ll definitely come away feeling great.
Wed, Jan 20, 2010
Comics and cartoons, Propaganda, Reviews