Much like Seinfeld, Olivier Schrauwen’s latest graphic novel is a book about nothing. As described in his preface, he supposedly set out to document the minutiae of a wasted lazy day in the life of his cousin, Thibault. While it sounds like an ill-advised experiment that should wrap up in about ten pages, Schrauwen manages to turn it into a 474-page magnum opus that is the most consistent and amusing work of his career. I think he may have something here.
Buy Sunday paperbackSchrauwen does have a cousin named Thibault, and other characters in the book also carry the names of real people in their lives, but contrary to his claims, the situations are fictional. He doesn’t limit himself to Thibault’s day, branching out to follow subplots involving Thibault’s girlfriend, his friend, an old flame, Olivier himself, and even mice and cats involved in their daily struggles in Thibault’s neighborhood. The action commences when Thibault wakes up Sunday morning and continues to the strike of midnight, shifting focus to other characters throughout the day but always prioritizing Thibault’s slacker day spent puttering around his home.
We don’t just follow Thibault, we also have access to his inner monologue, including the earworm he can’t escape and keeps quoting throughout the day, “Sex Machine” by James Brown. This makes for a hilarious running joke as he applies its suggestive lyrics to the drudgery of his daily existence, something akin to having Beavis and Butthead whispering “wood” in his ear all day. He also ruminates about how best to respond to texts from his out-of-town girlfriend, working out how to try to get her return flight information out of her again since he’s forgotten that vital information. He weighs the pros and cons of breaking up with her and possibly rekindling his relationship with the old flame, all while avoiding his principal task of the day, a long-delayed work project.
The book was originally released as individual issues over a number of years, printed on Risograph and hence limited to two colors. While Schrauwen switches up the colors from issue to issue, the Riso process results in a somewhat dreamy, surreal feel heightened by the absence of black ink. The new Fantagraphics paperback compilation utilizes rough, uncoated paper, nicely mimicking the original releases while also likely keeping the production and retail prices down.
If you’re familiar with Schrauwen’s utterly unique sensibilities, the new book is a continuation and refinement of his craft. It’s completely unlike anything else out there, but of all of his works, it’s also the most welcoming and relatable to new fans. That includes an extended sequence late in the day where work-avoiding Thibault gets super high and randomly lands on The Da Vinci Code on TV, attempting to parse meaning out of its nonsense while zonked out of his mind, further revealing himself to be an average everyman even as Schrauwen’s art and page layouts elevate to new heights. This book about nothing has a lot going on, and Thibault’s non-adventures are certain to entertain even the most overachieving readers.
