Dash Shaw follows up his incredible Bottomless Belly Button with another innovative graphic novel.

Set in 2060 after a second Civil War, the story follows a hallucinogenic drug researcher who uses himself as a guinea pig. He comes to the town of Boney Burrough where a new form of plant life has been discovered, which he soon discovers allows the user to pick up on the thoughts of others and begin to meld consciousnesses. Moving in and out of the plot are an idealistic high school couple and their teacher.

Originally released as a Web comic, BodyWorld comes in a somewhat cumbersome vertical format that, like a lot of the extras included (e.g. foldouts with character headshots and maps of the town), while novel doesn’t necessarily add much to the experience.

Still, Shaw continues to prove that he is one of the most inventive and exciting young artists working in comics.

Grade: A-



BodyWorld is currently available.