Three Cities

Cecil and Jordan in New York City, Gabrielle Bell. (Drawn & Quarterly) $19.95
Bell’s new collection of illustrated short stories take place in New York City, mostly in hipster Brooklyn. The book includes stories—in both black-and-white and color—that explore the subculture of the young NYC creative class, truant high schoolers, and being captured by giants. 

The Regulars, Sarah Stolfa. (Artisan) $15.95
The most compelling tribute to the three cities featured in these books, The Regulars is a series of portraits taken by photographer Sarah Stolfa, a bartender at the very Philadelphian McGlinchy’s. Introduced by Jonathan Franzen and including an essay by Stolfa herself, the portraits echo Franzen’s sentiment, “that [Philadelphia] refuses to flatter our sense of importance.”

Second Thoughts, Niklas Asker (Top Shelf Productions)$9.95
Niklas Asker’s debut takes place in London, the perfect backdrop for the dreariness of his story about artists struggling with their crafts and personal lives. The Swedish newcomer explores relationships between members of a demographic not unlike Bell’s, as he slowly builds toward hope. 

Jim Feeney

DS