Final Cut (Pantheon Graphic Library) Hardcover – 16 Oct. 2024

Bought as a present, they loved it!

Beautiful book

I loved it right up until the end and in my opinion the end was a let down 😞

If you are a Charles Burns fan, then no doubt you eagerly anticipated this book’s release. Having read it I can only hope that Burns is not slipping into a formula. The story is intriguing and I savoured the book in three sittings; originally released as a trilogy of bande dessinee’s, as was ‘Last Look’, ‘Final Cut’ even sounds the similar.Gone is NitNit and Johnny23 the alter egos of Doug from Last Look replaced by a more straightforward narrative character in Brian, though medication (for an unspecified mental condition in Final Cut) plays a strong part here too, the onus is on emotional detachment on Brian’s part, where Doug was simply unable to commit. One is left with the feeling that Burns does not have a very high opinion of the male of the species, with their propensity to autistic behaviours.Both stories end with their respective anti-heroes finding themselves alone. Doug as NitNit waking up in a dilapidated house, and Brian still imagining he can impress Laurie with his tidy room and new artist’s table, when in reality that ship has long sailed. So delusion leading to solitude. It is hard to see anymore juice being squeezed out of this lemon.If I didn’t know better I might think Burns was writing these stories as a way of saying “ look, I realise women are better than men, I’m different”, “would you like to sleep with me.” I’ll buy Burns’ next book, but if it’s more of the same, I’ll draw a veil over future purchases