Blue Block NM Kitchen Sink Comics Jim Woodring Scott Deschaine

Description

Blue Block (1993) #1
Published Jan 1993 by Kitchen Sink

This is a story set in the not too distant future, where the latest craze for poor housing is banding the tops of the buildings with a blue light strip. A man and his family struggle to survive without having to call upon human services, but when his wife goes into labor, he must swallow his pride and let them help. In the end, he discovers one man can make a difference, even for only one night.

Written by Scott Deschaine; Art by Jim Woodring
Published in 1993 by Kitchen Sink Press, 32 page color comic book

It’s too bad so many amazing comics from smaller or independent publishers aren’t better known. ‘Blue Block’ is one of the best one-shot comics I’ve read. In just 32 short pages, Scott Deschaine and Jim Woodring weave two interlinked tales (with the same protagonist) that, at first glance, seem totally unrelated but are symbolically linked. One is a simple fable, told mostly through images, of a man trying to free a cat whose head is stuck in a certain object. The other is a somewhat bizarre, cartoonish sci-fi story starring the same man. Both are ultimately about freedom and liberation. I didn’t understand the point of this comic when I read it as a kid. When I read it again as an adult, I was strangely moved. If you can find this, and you appreciate quality comics, get it.

Near mint, 1st print.