Julian is unemployed and unemployable, sitting around all day watching TV and doing drugs. And then his long-suffering girlfriend Dana decides enough’s enough and kicks the deadbeat out. With no money and no place to go, Julian wanders around - the only thing he knows: get more drugs!
Jon Allen’s back with his third book, Julian in Purgatory, that’s not quite as good as his first, Ohio is For Sale, but better than his second, The Lonesome Era. Also his art style has gotten much cleaner over the years and it’s the best it’s ever looked in this one.
It’s very appealing all-ages art with talking animals in place of humans so it’s funny that Allen’s stories all deal with adult themes and the cute animals are doing transgressive things like crushing up and snorting pills!
The story is fairly simplistic, following the usual downwards spiral of the junkie with few surprises, and so the journey is predictable, though not preachy, with its “drugs are bad, m’kay?” moral. It’s not the most memorable or exciting story but it’s never boring either with Allen doing just enough to keep the reader’s attention throughout, and it feels like an accurate portrayal of drug abuse (I’ve only consumed stories of such things, thankfully).
Julian in Purgatory is a fine, nicely-paced comic about relatable issues that’s well-written and drawn by an excellent cartoonist. It’s not gonna blow anyone’s hair back with its originality but it’s an engaging and mildly enjoyable read that’s worth checking out for fans of Adult Swim-type shows/slice-of-life comics.
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