Slow Jams

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From Wired Magazine, Issue 8.06: Caution isz nothing but the werd of Cowardice declares an epigraph in David Choe''s graphic novel, Slow Jams. Indeed, his drawing, like his spelling, feels labored-over yet reckless, as though he had worked frantically to capture every detail as events actually unfolded. The book''s black-and-white core slowly unfurls the story of a boy''s obsession with a girl he glimpsed at a party. What begins as romantic yearning later drives him to stalking, violence, and attempted suicide. Typed text pasted over pen-and-ink drawings and collage gives pages the feel of ransom notes, evoking dusty punk zines and living-in-the-big-city diaries. Slow Jams'' few color sections showcase vivid and violent, graffiti-infused paintwork. Choe self-published Slow Jams with a grant from the Xeric Foundation, funders of comic-book artists like Adrian Tomine and Ellen Forney. We may not know much about him now, but that''s sure to change. - Karen Eng.