Mid-Life #[nn]

Joe Ollmann's Mid-Life captures the quiet comedy of domestic overwhelm in a single, telling image: a bespectacled, weary-looking man in a blue coat stands center stage, clutching a floral bag and dangling a baby at arm's length, while three distinctly unimpressed women — one with arms crossed, one in a yellow coat, one with glasses — flank him with varying degrees of exasperation. Published by Drawn & Quarterly in 2011, this graphic novel showcases Ollmann as a complete solo creator, handling writing, art, inking, and lettering all himself. If the cover is any indication, Mid-Life mines the comedy of a man caught between generations with warmth, dry wit, and a very honest line.