Illustrator and comics artist Lonnie Garcia shapes a surreal model of forced affection in the surprisingly tender graphic novel Putty Pygmalion.
Derryl, a lonesome vegetable wearing cat-eye glasses, fashions a floppy-eared companion he calls Peter from a children's molding substance known as Putty Pals. But as Peter gains consciousness and assesses his surroundings, he begins to understand that he's a captive in Derryl's solipsistic fantasy. It doesn't help that Putty Pals were outlawed years ago, after being abused by adults in this very manner. If the outside world were to learn of Peter's existence, it could be the end of his short life altogether.
Garcia thoughtfully develops this tension with a depth of emotional intelligence about how any lasting or meaningful relationship cannot be compulsory. For someone literally born yesterday, Peter catches onto his unnerving predicament with a scornful observation: "Grievous misuse of a kids toy, by the way." But as luck would have it, Peter makes a sensitive connection beyond Derryl's reach, which precipitates a healthy shift in both their lives.
With art that sets stylish drawings against multicolor photo-collage backdrops, Putty Pygmalion strikes an eclectic balance between nostalgic novelty and speculative dystopia, writ small. Garcia shares curiosities and insights in the back matter about the evolution his art went through as he created this book. It's a treat that he didn't keep this project all to himself. --Dave Wheeler, senior editor, Shelf Awareness