No One Else
graphic novel *
*Actually described as a graphic novella, this slender book is a powerful work from an illustrator at the top of his game. No One Else takes place on Maui, R. Kikuo Johnson’s hometown, and in a series of vignettes and interludes describes a family navigating grief and unmet expectation. Charlene takes care of her elderly father while working full-time and raising her son Brandon, and when they are joined by Charlene’s deadbeat brother the fragile structure wobbles even more. The setting is skillfully introduced and the experience of small-town paradise comes across in the way the characters chafe and gripe at their circumstances. Johnson’s debut Night Fisher is also set on Maui, and though both books are fiction I get a sense that its the autobiographical elements which give the stories their keen emotional edge. I’ve read and re-read No One Else and Night Fisher several times, from start to finish, revisiting panels and dialogue and enjoying a new revelation each time. Highly recommended.