Columns 

Small Press Spotlight: Paul Goes Fishing

By | February 9th, 2010
Posted in Columns | % Comments

Article originally written by Steve Ponzo
Paul Goes Fishing
by Michel Rabagliati
Eisner and Ignatz nominee for Best Graphic Novel ‘09

Paul Goes Fishing is newest graphic novel by the ’01 Harvey Award Winner for Best New Talent, Michel Rabagliati. It is the fourth installment in the touching, semi-autobiographical “Paul” series and by far his best work to date. Sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes hopeful, the balance of humor and humility found in Rabagliati’s work is something not frequently seen in comics today.


The story is centered around Paul and his pregnant wife Lucie’s trip to a lake with friends, fishing and flashbacks. Surrounded by a delightful cast of characters, we share in the fun and laughs with the cast, but this is far more than the simple comical fishing trip that it appears to be.
Soon the lazy days of summer allow Paul’s mind to wander and we are transported to his childhood. A touching yet traumatic event shared between Paul and his dad help us to understand what shaped his sense of family. It is through this memory Paul begins to realize exactly what it means to be father, and fatherhood is a topic that is now very pertinent in Paul’s own life. As the days of summer pass by we come to see that this trip and Lucie’s pregnancy aren’t as carefree as we once thought.

Michel Rabagliati’s artwork is what makes this book truly come together. His simple, yet elegant line work balances the playful and mundane, the subtle and sincere. In the past three Paul volumes Rabagliati’s work was strictly black and white, but in this latest graphic novel he adds in two flat shades of gray. It’s a tactic used by many artist in the b&w field, but I’ve never seen it pulled off with such balance and brilliance before. I found myself again and again counting the different shades of gray thinking for sure there are an infinite number used, but every time my tally remained just two. The compositions are simple yet elegantly executed. In just shades of gray an atmosphere of hope and hardship is created. Playful lines give way to meaningful beauty and even the mundane turns into wonder.

Although drawn as cartoons, Rabagliati somehow makes it so we’re looking at real people. The comical moments and the simplistic art style never seem forced. The people never seem fake, and that’s what is truly astonishing about his work. He is truly a rare breed of talent.

The title of Paul Goes Fishing is simple and misleading. Clearly this is not what the story is about. It’s complex and compelling, sweet and sorrowful. As readers we prepare along with Paul for a jovial trip to a lake expecting one thing, but we are handed something unexpected, something so much more. But isn’t that life?

Other books in the Paul series:
  • Paul in the Country
  • Paul Moves Out
  • Paul Has a Summer Job
  • The Adventures of Paul (Drawn & Quarterly’s FCD ’05 release)
* Please note that this series doesn’t have a linear storyline, the books jump around to many different points in Paul’s life so there is no need to worry about reading them out of order.

//TAGS | Off the Cape

Multiversity Staff

We are the Multiversity Staff, and we love you very much.

EMAIL | ARTICLES


  • Reviews
    Afterlife with Archie: Rivderdale for the Walking Dead Generation [Review]

    By | Jun 4, 2014 | Reviews

    When you talk about Archie Comics, I think a certain image is immediately. The picturesque Riverdale and its happy denizens immediately come to mind. There are wacky hijinks, a dearth of hamburgers, some pretty groovy bands; milkshakes and holding hands and everything sunny all the time always.“Afterlife with Archie” is nothing like that. “Afterlife with […]

    MORE »

    -->