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Jankovic, Dunja – Habitat #2
Habitat #2
There are a fairly large number of comics out there that deal with the various hardships of work and the problems associated with jobs, but this is one of those rare comics that reminds you of an awful fact: we don’t all get to relax at home. In this comic, that’s mostly because all of the little things of life add up to a picture of madness that should get just about anybody down. Hey, what can I say, screw reviewing an upbeat comic on a Monday. Oh, and this is a sequel to Dunja’s “Department of Art,” in case you were looking for the first issue of this series. The first one dealt (obliquely) with life at work, this one just deals with life and all of the seedy bits involved with it. As it’s damned near impossible to summarize this quickly, I’ll just mention some bits in it and you can put it all together in your head. There’s the horror of the landlady (and her quivering chihuahua) demanding the rent as soon as our hero walks in the door, a conversation about how the rent is collected (apparently tenants are required to collect rent from other tenants based on location), getting a song stuck in your head, being unable to fully submerge in a bathtub, and then things break down completely, as our hero is transformed while in the bathtub into… ah, I’ve said too much. Another notable bit of the story is the focus on the creepy crawlies in the apartment complex, as we see the secret lives of mice (turns out that there’s a lot of fucking involved) and follow an ant for a bit while he’s going about his day. The second half of the book is altogether different, and I’m sure you’ll be delighted to discover that difference for yourself. I’m not going to mention the ending at all, but the fact that this will still be continued into another issue blew my mind. I’m not sure how much further it’s possible for this sad sack to devolve (or evolve?), but we’re apparently going to get a chance to find out. Don’t worry if you missed the first issue, this one stands up just fine on its own. And it’s bigger than the first one, so you get a more substantial sense of unease this time around. $9
Jankovic, Dunja – Department of Art
Department of Art Now Available! $6
How was your work day? Did you explore the office at all? Have you ever? This comic takes some preconceived notions of working and office life and makes them do back flips. This comic starts with a seemingly average office worker, hard at it in his cubicle (which is inside of an extensive maze), who is soon interrupted to make sure that he is working hard enough at his art. Hey, at least he gets to make art all day. Along the way he tries to avoid the usual distractions, then eventually has to make his way to the break room. After a brief conversation he takes a smoke break, using an air vent to get some privacy. Once he’s in the air vent he decides to go exploring, and that’s where the fun really starts. This is probably about as misleading of a review as I’ve done, as for all you know from that description this is all about Dilbert. Dunja makes this comic all about the visuals, and the claustrophobic sense of being constantly trapped is palpable. The main character seems to mostly be trying to get by, not particularly looking for adventure, which doesn’t prevent him from getting stuck in awkward situations. This is one of those comics that has to be seen and not so much talked about, and at least this is one of those cases where the website has plenty of various comics to help you make up your mind. $6
