The origin of this comic is that Noah van Sciver’s girlfriend Jazzmyn pointed out a 30-page sketchbook in an art shop and he bought it to fill it up with diary comics. A fittingly ordinary explanation given the title and yet More Mundane was a surprisingly entertaining comic!
Taking place between October and November 2013, watch in awe as van Sciver draws pages for his book Saint Cole, watches movies, drinks wine, eats Taco Bell, sleeps, has weird dreams, and argues with co-workers in his jobs in the foodservice industry and book retail. He also goes to a Halloween party and grows a moustache that his co-workers tease him for because it makes him look like a paedo (sorry Noah but it does)!
On the one hand I liked More Mundane because I enjoy diary comics in general but it’s also a good comic in itself in large part due to van Sciver’s talent as a cartoonist to make the everyday readable. It’s one thing for someone to write or draw about their day but few can make it work quite so well as a skilled comics creator. There are amusing parts as well as reflective moments too amidst the unremarkable stuff, mirroring real life.
I would however recommend not reading this in one sitting. I tend to have a few books on the go at the same time and reading a few pages of More Mundane after some Batman or Shonen Jump manga (Superhero action! Ninja magic! Speed lines!) kept it fresh for me. Otherwise even just 30 pages of a guy sitting in bed drawing or staring at his cat can be a bit too overwhelmingly dull!
At any rate, More Mundane? Yes please!
More Mundane
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