The Dancing Plague, Gareth Brookes, 2021, Published by SelfMadeHero
I was stunned with how good this book is: a historical fiction set in the 16th Century, told in a style reminiscent of 16th century illustration. Brookes writes a narrative about a woman named Mary, who is touched by God and is labeled possessed by the Devil. She inspires a Dancing Plague at many points in her life. This is based on historical records of the time.
None of it is explained, it works as a sort of Christian magical realism.
Brookes uses pyrography (burning the paper) throughout the book, and embroidery to help illustrate the visions and magical aspects.
As a reading experience, it is challenging. We aren’t used to comics that read this way, and for the first third I was not sure exactly what I was following. He also shifts back and forth between 1508 and 1518 or so, which was disorienting. If a book has a chapter set in 1918, then the next in 1908, yeah, those are ten years apart, and very different years. But the difference between 1518 and 1508 seems like ten minutes, from the perspective of a reader in the 21st century. Once I got adjusted to his rhythm, I was all with it though.
Often when I read something recreating a past era or even a foreign culture, it puts your own understandings into relief. You recognize some things as being very human experiences, and other things as being very arbitrary evolutions of a society. I’ve been living in a foreign country for twenty years, so maybe I’m more sensitive to the experience than others. Here, he writes of how an area dealt with a plague beyond their comprehension. We lived through one of those too, in 2020. People didn't take it well. These folk don't take it well in very different ways.
All in all, this is great example of comics as art rather than comics as product. The major difference? Brookes’ ambition. He’s not producing this for likes on Instagram or to expand his base. Maybe he is, I don’t know the guy. But this is a good book, not like anything I’ve ever read.
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