Review von Jonathan Ellis bei:
www.popimage.com (Review Feb 2004)
Yukiko’s Spinach is a romance that takes place between two adults, not some Breakfast Club teenage attraction, but rather two lovers trying to make the best of the time they have together. This graphic novel is part love story and part affair. Yukiko is torn between two men, one whom she loves and another whom she really, really likes. This story is told by the man who loves her but whom she only likes. Yukiko’s Spinach is like a walk in a park with an old flame. A subtle love story without the trappings many other stories tend to fall into and then try to save with comedy or suspense. There’s no need for overt melodrama or unnecessary violence, Yukiko’s Spinach is a simple account of the time one man got to spend with the woman he loved… or perhaps merely desired? That’s one question you’ll find your heart and brain fighting over as you read this.
For those unfamiliar with Boilet, he is an author and mangaka who uses video and photography in creating his artwork. Boilet’s photo-realism artwork not only looks lovely but also gives the story a very unique ‘behind the camera’ perspective, actually putting the reader in the shoes of the artist. At times creating an atmosphere of voyeurism but also producing an environment that seems to simulate a direct interaction with the reader. While the use of edited photos in comic art can seem overdone, depending on the artist, this does not occur with Boilet. You can clearly see the actual effort involved here, as opposed to a simple photoshop filter.
Certainly one of the shining points of this book for me was that the story appears to take place in real time. The behind the camera perspective reinforces this but Boilet actually takes you along in the story as he lives it. The creation of the very comic you are reading actually begins its creation within the context of the very comic you are reading.
