Mavis

In the late 1990s, writer/artist Steve Lafler brought his distinctive, jazz-inflected style to Exhibit A Press for Mavis, a three-issue series that blended autobiographical confession with beatnik whimsy. The strip follows its title character, a feline stand-in for the creator, through a world of smoky clubs, romantic misadventures, and existential musings, all rendered in Lafler’s loose, expressive linework. A cult gem of the alternative-comics era, Mavis stands as a compact, heartfelt snapshot of indie cartooning at the turn of the millennium.