James Kochalka: American Elf, Book Two

Perhaps the best-known artist on the Top Shelf roster, James Kochalka is both a cult musician (“James Kochalka Superstar”) and TV cartoonist (Nickleodeon) as well as an amazingly prolific comic book artist (Monkey Vs. Robot, Super F*ckers). Perpetually on the verge of a mainstream breakthrough, his highly-personal work, unbearably cute artistic style and individual quirkiness seems to keep him forever one step away from grabbing the brass ring. However, Kochalka is undoubtedly talented, and his work displays a great deal of thought and insight that could take him to whatever level of success that he desires.

American Elf, Book Two is the second anthology of Kochalka’s daily “sketchbook diaries,” circa 2004 – 2005, an intimate and incredibly perceptive collection that reveals both the inner workings of the artist’s profession as well as his personal thoughts and emotions. The format is deceptively complex in its simplicity – one strip a day, one to four panels each – a miniscule space in which to convey an idea or throw out a punch line. But Kochalka has this medium down to a gleeful science.

With his wife and infant son, band members, friends and complete strangers all participating characters in his ongoing narrative, Kochalka pulls back the curtain to reveal a wonderful world where minor setbacks are offset by small triumphs, and even something as simple as son Eli’s Halloween outfit or traveling out-of-town to sign autographs at a comics convention is fodder for daily reflection.

American Elf works not only because Kochalka invests so much of himself and his world into his daily “sketchbook diary” but because he does so with such humor, innocence, honesty and insight. Kochalka’s talent is not necessarily as a storyteller, nor even as an artist (although his work certainly has its simple charm), but rather as a sharp-eyed observer of the human condition. Just as each day’s entry becomes a commentary on romance and relationships, sex and parenthood, the struggle for artistic recognition and the rigors of everyday life, so too does each daily strip work as a single frame in virtual documentary film of the artist’s life and work.

It’s not only a breathtaking concept, but a highly entertaining one as well, Kochalka matching his childlike glee with an often world-weary perspective that borderlines on cynicism. In the end, however, his love for his family and his overall sense of wonder inspire Kochalka to create an enduring work that is timeless, entertaining and universal in its ability to relate to the reader. American Elf is definitely not a child’s comic book, but rather a book for the child that exists in every one of us, demanding the opportunity to come out and play.... (Top Shelf Productions)

(Click on the book cover to buy American Elf from Amazon.com or buy direct from Top Shelf Comix)