This weekend at NYCC, I had the opportunity to stop by the Archaia booth and be one of 500 others to receive an advanced copy of a graphic novel that is getting quite a large amount of praise and recognition in the community. Jim McCann and Janet Lee’s Return of the Dapper Men is making waves like no other graphic novel at the moment, so naturally the opportunity to receive a copy before the rest of you is something I couldn’t pass up! So on my ride home from New York to Boston, I kicked my feet up (as much as I could, anyway) and entered into the world of Anorev.
Check behind the cut for my thoughts on the graphic novel from Archaia.
In the Return of the Dapper Men, time stands still. No one remembers when and why it stopped, but the inhabitants of Ayden consist of robots and children, and neither seem to care. The robots remain above, taking care of the world as best as they can, and the children stay below, running wild and enjoying a world where there is no need to grow up or even comprehend what that means.
This is the way the world is for everyone but Ayden and Zoe, a boy and his silent robot friend, who fit in nowhere and aren’t afraid to dream. But this is not the way the world remains when time begins to move and 314 dapper men float down from the sky to change everything.
Return of the Dapper Men is an eclectic mix of both a graphic novel for adults and a story book for children. It’s a great mix between the two mediums and, in its own way, offers two different stories. For the younger audience, this is a charming tale of robots and children in the same vein of classic children stories and fables, just primed and a ready for a Pixar/Disney adaptation. However, just as every fable has it’s own lesson to impart on those that can understand, Dapper Men finds the time (pun intended) to say a few words. Dapper Men is a story of growing up, of accepting responsibility, and of the importance of time and how we use it. Primarily pushed along by Dapper Man #41 and his quirky sense of dialogue and love of tea, our heroes and the inhabitants of Anorev are given a new outlook on life that is incredibly reflective of our own world with an important message to behold – just as all good fables do.
Jim McCann has put out some of his best work with this story. Those that know him from the world of Marvel super heroes might be quite surprised to say his different handling of story telling here, because as much as all stories have mysteries that push the plot forward (in perhaps five issue arc form), McCann sets up the book in a fashion as sharp as the men dressed inside. 41 is McCann hidden in the story, helping to guide Ayden and Zoe throughout a series of clever locales that operate both as tributes to important fictional works as well as metaphors for our heroes, and all of it speak to McCann’s strength as a writer. For those already familiar and fond of his work with Marvel heroes Hawkeye and Mockingbird, prepare to even still be rather wowed.
Of course, newcomer to the medium Janet Lee is likely to be one of the biggest stars you’ll find in art after this book. Her work in the book is nothing short of astounding on a regular basis, and you’ll find it right in the opening scene of the book as the setting of the story is set up. One piece in particular, that incorporates two birds, is quite breathtaking in it’s power both in terms of it’s impact to the story as well as it’s noteworthiness as artwork. The subtle inclusion of painted over pages and boards in the background is incredibly interesting to behold, and in reading about the composition of a page at the end of the book as Janet’s unique process is shown, it only gives more of an immense appreciation for her talent.
All of this goes to show you that McCann and Lee make an incredible team. There are so many things here to love, including the word bubbles themselves (personalized per character), that all the praise you have probably been hearing about the book is very well deserved. In the same way Where The Wild Things Are can be picked up and loved at any age, Return of the Dapper Men manages to appropriately and uniquely blur the line and create a story so good that saying it is for All Ages is putting it lightly. A truly wonderful story perfect for any bedtime, and one that is highly recommended. Your comic collection will thank you for it.
And, if nothing else, by the time you finish reading you’ll almost assuredly want a bowler hat and umbrella to help you to fly.
