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Delusional: The Graphic and Sequential Work of Farel Dalrymple
Delusional is a book of comics and drawings by cartoonist Farel Dalrymple. You might have seen them in various anthologies, or posted on the internets, but now they are collected into one beautiful tome. Farel's previous work includes Pop Gun War, Omega the Unknown and the occasional Prophet. Farel has won both the Xeric Grant and a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators for his work.
232 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2013
3 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Farel Dalrymple
115 books162 followersFarel Dal lives in Portland, Oregon and is currently working on a comic book called ROBot TOD. He is the creator of: 20202020 (2022 floating World comics), THE OFTEN WRONG(Image comics 2019), Proxima Centauri (Image comics 2019), IT WILL ALL HURT (Image Comics 2018), Pop Gun War: Chain Letter (Image Comics 2017) and POP GUN WAR: GIFT (2016 Image Comics, 2001 Dark Horse), The Wrenchies (First Second Books 2014), and Delusional (Adhouse 2013). Farel was a co-founder and contributor to the comic anthology, Meathaus, and the artist on Palefire (Secret Acres 2015) written by Mk Reed, Prophet (Image Comics 2012) by Brandon Graham, Omega the Unknown (Marvel Comics 2010) by Jonathan Lethem, Jenny Finn (Dark Horse 2018) by Troy Nixey and Mike Mignola, and Caper (DC Comics 2003) by Judd Winick.
Farel Dalrymple and Soph Franz just debuted MONSTER_US!!! a 64-page monster art zine which you can get on their store https://store.fareldal.com/
Farel Dalrymple and Soph Franz just debuted MONSTER_US!!! a 64-page monster art zine which you can get on their store https://store.fareldal.com/
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 17, 2016
[Also Discussing 'Omega the Unknown', with art from 'The Wrenchies' and 'Prophet']
Let's see if I can convince someone that Farel Dalrymple is one of the most important organisms living on the warm, fuzzy belly of sequential art. It's not like this should be difficult; I'll just keep typing random words until the paragraph looks ripe, then post pictorial evidence of his awesomeness. Also, his name is 'Farel Dalrymple', which might be the coolest label anybody's gotten pinned with since our Paleolithic ancestors started pointing at each other and issuing specially-tailored grunts. Perfect for a character from Dickens, Tolkien or Hammett. Farel Dalrymple has been a favorite since I purchased the hardcover edition of 'Omega the Unknown', his brilliant collaboration with award-winning novelist Jonathan Lethem (yet another favorite in the swollen ranks, this time the 'Fightin' Fifth' Literary Battalion). It was the best superhero comic ever made. Motherfucking period >>> . <<< But Dalrymple's also a talented all-around story-teller, and he's attracted well-deserved acclaim and been viciously battered with pointy, dangerous awards; first for his series 'Popgun War', and then his epic horror about the abiding awfulness of children, 'The Wrenchies'... it may have been about something else, now that I ponder it.
Dalrymple art from 'The Wrenchies' and other sources, including a great Dr. Strange illustration and 'Once Upon a Time Machine', all featuring his immediately recognizable style and brilliant gouache and watercolor technique:
The hardcover edition of 'Omega the Unknown' impressed me not just for the art and story, but also as one of the most beautifully designed comic volumes I've seen. So much so, I bought a second copy, kept in pristine edition, in the hopes of getting it signed one day by Dalrymple or a skilled forger (I joke). From the dustjacket to the cover material and title font, from the painted imagery of the endpapers to the thick, glossy pages, I was blown away by Dalrymple's masterful book design before I'd even read a page. Not only is it the most perfectly designed book Marvel has published, I think it stands up against any similarly priced editions of sequential art ever produced. When I got around to actually reading it, I was dumbfounded by how good it was. Jonathan Lethem, of whose novels I was already a fan, had transitioned his off-kilter worldview to comics seamlessly. Paul Hornschemeier, an excellent cartoonist in his own right, provided subtle, stylish colors that had the organic feel of paint. Gary Panter, one of the most important artists working today, from his days at Raw to his recent Daltokyo collection, provided guest art doubling as the frantic attempts at communication sketched by the mute alien incarnation of Omega.
Dalrymple art from 'Omega the Unknown':
Dalrymple's art was something new and exciting, and I've since sought out his work everywhere I can find it. The only stylistic comparisons fall well short of the mark... Paul Pope, a little; Tomer Hanuka, a bit; the large scale watercolors of Rob Sato feel most closely related to the Dalrymple aesthetic, and they both belong to the same loose association of painters, illustrators and cartoonists that appeared in 'Meathaus'.
Dalrymple art from 'Prophet' and 'Delusional':
Now Adhouse has released this handsome little hardcover volume that collects material from the last 15 years or so. Stories from the seminal Meathaus anthologies (which also featured many of his talented up-and-coming friends like James Jean, Esao Andrews, and 'Batman' artist-turned-feature-film-director Troy Nixey) make up a chunk of this beautifully designed, 6.5" x 9", 230 page book, as do many illustrations and sketchbook selections -- essentially most of his non-Popgun War, creator-owned published work. I can't recommend this highly enough for Dalrymple fans (and I recommend Omega the Unknown and The Wrenchies for anyone thus far unfamiliar with his art).
Let's see if I can convince someone that Farel Dalrymple is one of the most important organisms living on the warm, fuzzy belly of sequential art. It's not like this should be difficult; I'll just keep typing random words until the paragraph looks ripe, then post pictorial evidence of his awesomeness. Also, his name is 'Farel Dalrymple', which might be the coolest label anybody's gotten pinned with since our Paleolithic ancestors started pointing at each other and issuing specially-tailored grunts. Perfect for a character from Dickens, Tolkien or Hammett. Farel Dalrymple has been a favorite since I purchased the hardcover edition of 'Omega the Unknown', his brilliant collaboration with award-winning novelist Jonathan Lethem (yet another favorite in the swollen ranks, this time the 'Fightin' Fifth' Literary Battalion). It was the best superhero comic ever made. Motherfucking period >>> . <<< But Dalrymple's also a talented all-around story-teller, and he's attracted well-deserved acclaim and been viciously battered with pointy, dangerous awards; first for his series 'Popgun War', and then his epic horror about the abiding awfulness of children, 'The Wrenchies'... it may have been about something else, now that I ponder it.
Dalrymple art from 'The Wrenchies' and other sources, including a great Dr. Strange illustration and 'Once Upon a Time Machine', all featuring his immediately recognizable style and brilliant gouache and watercolor technique:
The hardcover edition of 'Omega the Unknown' impressed me not just for the art and story, but also as one of the most beautifully designed comic volumes I've seen. So much so, I bought a second copy, kept in pristine edition, in the hopes of getting it signed one day by Dalrymple or a skilled forger (I joke). From the dustjacket to the cover material and title font, from the painted imagery of the endpapers to the thick, glossy pages, I was blown away by Dalrymple's masterful book design before I'd even read a page. Not only is it the most perfectly designed book Marvel has published, I think it stands up against any similarly priced editions of sequential art ever produced. When I got around to actually reading it, I was dumbfounded by how good it was. Jonathan Lethem, of whose novels I was already a fan, had transitioned his off-kilter worldview to comics seamlessly. Paul Hornschemeier, an excellent cartoonist in his own right, provided subtle, stylish colors that had the organic feel of paint. Gary Panter, one of the most important artists working today, from his days at Raw to his recent Daltokyo collection, provided guest art doubling as the frantic attempts at communication sketched by the mute alien incarnation of Omega.
Dalrymple art from 'Omega the Unknown':
Dalrymple's art was something new and exciting, and I've since sought out his work everywhere I can find it. The only stylistic comparisons fall well short of the mark... Paul Pope, a little; Tomer Hanuka, a bit; the large scale watercolors of Rob Sato feel most closely related to the Dalrymple aesthetic, and they both belong to the same loose association of painters, illustrators and cartoonists that appeared in 'Meathaus'.
Dalrymple art from 'Prophet' and 'Delusional':
Now Adhouse has released this handsome little hardcover volume that collects material from the last 15 years or so. Stories from the seminal Meathaus anthologies (which also featured many of his talented up-and-coming friends like James Jean, Esao Andrews, and 'Batman' artist-turned-feature-film-director Troy Nixey) make up a chunk of this beautifully designed, 6.5" x 9", 230 page book, as do many illustrations and sketchbook selections -- essentially most of his non-Popgun War, creator-owned published work. I can't recommend this highly enough for Dalrymple fans (and I recommend Omega the Unknown and The Wrenchies for anyone thus far unfamiliar with his art).
April 1, 2014
I bought this basically sight-unseen as soon as the internet told me it was a thing, and I'm really glad I did. I've been going through it a piece at a time for the last week or two, and I'm fascinated by Dalrymple's approach to design, storytelling and hell, even book layout. "It's been said that the journey is more important than where you end up," says one character to another in one of the most Unnecessary Explanations Ever, late in the book -- after nearly 200 pages of looping narratives, shifting protagonists, open-ended feelings, and innocently-presented ideas.
The beautiful thing, I think, is that a lot of "journey-over-destination" guys out there really don't know how to escape the conventions of traditional narrative (so that something like Twin Peaks is ultimately always maddening because every part of the story insists that it ultimately have a point, even though it certainly doesn't). Worse still are stories that purport to be about Nothing when they are in fact about Something, and embarrassingly often end up trying to be about Everything just to look smart.
But if there's one guy truly focused on the Journey like an absolute motherfucker, it's Farel Dalrymple. These stories, as short as they are, refuse to be confined or pigeonholed. They're kind of meditative, sure, but they're just as likely to Talk About Life as they are to talk about trying to be a witch, a teenager, and the drummer in an all-girl rock band just because it's true. When it's poignant, you don't really know why; when it's funny, you don't really know how.
Nor is this lack of commitment to obvious story structures or themes some kind of Sienfeldian stunt -- none of Adrian Tomine's cold neither-here-nor-there aloofness, for example, would fit amongst these pages. Dalrymple's stories just are, and they're not even trying to be cute in their are-ness.
I think that one of the things I'm interested in when writing, and reading, and teaching, is trying to think about how to get away from premeditation -- how to let work just happen. And the incredible thing about the "peek into my sketchbook" quality of Delusional is that you get to see how a lot of these comics go through several drafts and iterations, without ever locking themselves down. I love that. It's exciting stuff, and I'm happy this book exists to let me think on how it's done.
And if (like me) you can't totally lose yourself in the wandering unstructuredness of this collection, there's a handy Afterword in which the author explains all the bits of his past work that have been included here. I found it helpful to keep one finger in the back as a bookmark while reading, until different character sets and storyworlds became familiar. As well as collecting a bookload of album covers, posters, pinups and sketchbook pages, Delusional focuses on an expanding cast of characters from an upcoming volume of Pop Gun War, as well as his "coffeeshop" stories from the Meat Haus anthology series, and a collection of stuff from his Supermundane webcomic.
And if none of that means anything to you, think: children in a sprawling cityscape, who talk to animals, who live in trees, who ride around in airships. Think creepy loners and wannabe heroes. Think of an astronaut who might be Farel Dalrymple who might be a dog who might be a rat who might be a cockroach who might be a child in a sprawling cityscape, talking to animals and living in trees, and most definitely flying on airships.
The beautiful thing, I think, is that a lot of "journey-over-destination" guys out there really don't know how to escape the conventions of traditional narrative (so that something like Twin Peaks is ultimately always maddening because every part of the story insists that it ultimately have a point, even though it certainly doesn't). Worse still are stories that purport to be about Nothing when they are in fact about Something, and embarrassingly often end up trying to be about Everything just to look smart.
But if there's one guy truly focused on the Journey like an absolute motherfucker, it's Farel Dalrymple. These stories, as short as they are, refuse to be confined or pigeonholed. They're kind of meditative, sure, but they're just as likely to Talk About Life as they are to talk about trying to be a witch, a teenager, and the drummer in an all-girl rock band just because it's true. When it's poignant, you don't really know why; when it's funny, you don't really know how.
Nor is this lack of commitment to obvious story structures or themes some kind of Sienfeldian stunt -- none of Adrian Tomine's cold neither-here-nor-there aloofness, for example, would fit amongst these pages. Dalrymple's stories just are, and they're not even trying to be cute in their are-ness.
I think that one of the things I'm interested in when writing, and reading, and teaching, is trying to think about how to get away from premeditation -- how to let work just happen. And the incredible thing about the "peek into my sketchbook" quality of Delusional is that you get to see how a lot of these comics go through several drafts and iterations, without ever locking themselves down. I love that. It's exciting stuff, and I'm happy this book exists to let me think on how it's done.
And if (like me) you can't totally lose yourself in the wandering unstructuredness of this collection, there's a handy Afterword in which the author explains all the bits of his past work that have been included here. I found it helpful to keep one finger in the back as a bookmark while reading, until different character sets and storyworlds became familiar. As well as collecting a bookload of album covers, posters, pinups and sketchbook pages, Delusional focuses on an expanding cast of characters from an upcoming volume of Pop Gun War, as well as his "coffeeshop" stories from the Meat Haus anthology series, and a collection of stuff from his Supermundane webcomic.
And if none of that means anything to you, think: children in a sprawling cityscape, who talk to animals, who live in trees, who ride around in airships. Think creepy loners and wannabe heroes. Think of an astronaut who might be Farel Dalrymple who might be a dog who might be a rat who might be a cockroach who might be a child in a sprawling cityscape, talking to animals and living in trees, and most definitely flying on airships.
April 9, 2024
Sevdiğim bir sanatçının çizgi roman/çizim karışık derleme bir kitabı oldukça güzeldi içindeki commissionları alan kişileri ufak bi kıskandım Prophet serisiyle tanıştığım Farel Dalrymple'in okumadığım işlerini de bulup okuyacağım gibi duruyor.
December 17, 2018
A loose collection of sketches and short comics. Mostly decent. My only complaint is that some of the comics were illustrated too small and were hard to read.
July 4, 2020
The best. Order this from Farel's Patreon & he'll illustrate you something special in it.
August 2, 2014
This book is a smattering of often unrelated pieces by Farel Dalrymple, whom I hadn't heard of prior to checking this book out. The art is beautifully done, and I really enjoyed a lot of the comics as well. That said, I feel like I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I'd already been a fan of his work. I liked it, but it lacked any kind of context or continuity. Definitely something cool for fans of Dalrymple's stuff, but maybe not the best starting point.
December 30, 2014
It's cool and full of random artwork and some linear stories. I like a lot of his artwork, but there's a lot of space in this book devoted to unfinished-looking scribbles that I could have done without. Normally I love sketchbook stuff, but some of this was too sloppy-scribbly for me to get much out of it. But when Dalrymple does fully-finished artwork in full color, it can be pretty awesome. Surreal and magical, but also gritty and urban.
July 8, 2014
Farel gives illusion and fantasy a deep seeded reality that takes you from one world to the next that he seems to have created just for you. His artwork and writing are perfectly matched. I cannot recommend this enough.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews