Author: reklaw

The sketchbook companion of a man literally losing his mind. Homeless and broke after giving all his stuff to punk-rock heroin dealers, he ends up off his meds and on a secret quest from Portland to Brooklyn, DC, LA, San Francisco, and Seattle. Jammed with cartoons, mad schemes, psychedelic portraits, and notes from the road, LOVF is a travel journal and a mirror of the post-traumatic dreamworld its author can’t escape from, a Kerouacian meltdown of cross-hatching, spattered marker, crayons, glitter, tape, nail polish, Wite-Out, finger-painting, rain, wine, stickers, and word balloons.

Published by Fantagraphics Books. Funded by Kickstarter.

“Alive with color and collage, conveying the joy of the highs that come with bipolar disorder without minimizing its downside.” — Paste, from their review and interview.

“For those who brave its shattering pages, this book offers a twisted exploration of the furthest reaches of the comics medium—and the catacombs of the human spirit. — Publishers Weekly

The interior art for this book is all drawn and painted directly in one sketchbook. This original art book is for sale; please inquire if you are interested.

Buy a signed copy of LOVF. (Sorry lovf isn’t free.)

$16.99Add to cart

This tragicomic graphic memoir is presented through inviting conceits like cat histories and card games, in a series of comic novellas that together comprise a thoughtful, sometimes dark and often hilarious memoir about childhood, family, death, mental illness, sex and drug use. The graphic novel is told in five parts: In “Thirteen Cats” (featured in The Best American Comics), Reklaw discovers coping mechanisms that mimic his family pets; “Toys I Love” relates the author’s pre-pubescent brushes with deviant sexual activity, and the way innocence converges with real sexual trauma; “The Fred Robinson Story” tells the story of Reklaw’s period stalking perfect strangers; “The Stacked Deck,” in which hereditary influences towards criminal behavior, drug use and depression are explored via card games the author played with his family; and “Lessoned,” a family history of mental illness.

Published by Fantagraphics Books.

“Reklaw has a truly special intellect and keen sense of humor.” — The Comics Journal

“The way the book’s separate stories fit together is much like the way most of those smaller tales produce a bigger picture, piling up blocks slowly and unobtrusively until they form a larger point in the reader’s mind. It is, basically, the way we make sense of life as we grow older and gain distance from our early years, which is an impressive task for a comic book to undertake.” — Paste

“Reklaw’s work cuts deep as it reminds us that the darkest elements of humanity can be found in our own backyards, but it also reminds us that through that darkness we can persevere, somewhat damaged, through art and expression.” — Entropy

The cover art for this book is for sale.

Some original art pages from Couch Tag are for sale. Please inquire if you are interested.

Buy a signed copy of Couch Tag.

$26.99Add to cart

The second Slow Wave collection turns the dreams of strangers into the most insightful, humorous, and clever four-panel comic strips you have ever read. This hardcover volume captures the sublime pleasure of tumbling through the freewheeling narrative of our sleeping lives. Each strip is an adaptation of the many dreams submitted to Reklaw from all over the world, every one a unique and compelling journey into a landscape to which we all travel. The Night of Your Life is a testament to the ability of comics to illuminate the corridors of the imagination, with wit, sincerity, and joy.

Published by Dark Horse Books.

The San Francisco Chronicle calls them “delightfully surreal morsels… as sure-handedly and lucidly drawn as the subject matter is crooked and curious,” and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies says the comics have “that rare blend of pointed humor and specially brewed whimsy.”