The Lonesome Go

by Tim Lane

Tim Lane continues his exploration of the Great American Mythological Drama that began with his first book, the critically acclaimed Abandoned Cars. This collection of stories is broadly linked together by the experience of wandering both literally and figuratively. With compelling verisimilitude, the lives of his characters are depicted by way of rich mixtures of obscure myths and documented facts, dreams and reality, belief and disbelief, throughout a haunted landscape populated by the ghosts of a complex and rich fictional tapestry. You ll witness a young man s dubious quest to discover the myth of the protagonist from an obscure vintage comic strip; encounter sociopathic hobos in boxcars and misled young men whose facial pores sprout worms and who throw up babies into gas station toilets; visit modern Hoovervilles; and experience the life and death of an undocumented immigrant bookstore doorman, former boxer, and expert hustler."

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comix, Noir

220 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Tim Lane is a licensed paraglider pilot and a registered nurse. He has a BS in biology and an associate’s degree in nursing.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relats hereus de Ramon Carver i un dibuix que toca a Robert Crumb. Però la depressió americana ha pogut amb mi, costant-me sang, suor i llàgrimes la lectura. En aquest cas no és un problema de l'obra (depriment, noir, cinematogràfica, excel.lentment editada), és un problema de l'estat anímic-lector. És una lectura que no entra amb facilitat, de les que cal trobar el "mood" i el moment.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extenso cómic que recopila muchos trabajos de Tim Lane. La variedad es muy grande y van desde lo bizarro a el retrato del crudo sueño americano. Personalmente me gustan más estos últimos y por ello creo que su otro álbum " Coches abandonados" es superior a este. La calidad del dibujo y los guiones es alta y si te apasiona el cómic underground te encantará.

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very tempted to give this one five stars. It took me longer to get through this book than it die the previous collection, Abandoned Cars, primarily because this one is composed of more, and more substantial, parts. And some of these are brief prose pieces. It carries on from the previous collection, but the centerpiece of this book is the "Belligerent Piano" storyline that focuses on the character Jackie No-Name. Lane pairs this up with a story that is more autobiographical, "In Another Life." The "Lane" character and Jackie No-Name are associated often, making this overall collection more personal than Abandoned Cars. I've now begun my interview with Lane, which I'll eventually published on The Comics Alternative.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - Although it's probably not technically a "noir" title, The Lonesome Go will no doubt appeal to those (like me) who love noir stories and film noir. Lane's various stories weave in and out of each other, creating a wonderful - and sometimes frightening - tapestry of isolation, disillusionment, and darkness. Definitely a mature title.

[Tyler Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark, noir-ish collection of comics all vaguely focused on wandering or being lost in America. Boxcar hobos, roadside diners, a search for an old cartoonist, every page of this collection exudes Americana. Phenomenally detailed black-and-white illustrations make this a truly impressive work.

[Marc Pastor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malgrat que me l'havien recomanat fervorosament, m'he avorrit com una mala cosa i m'ha costat horrors acabar-lo. M'he saltat algunes de les parts on directament hi havia retallables o instruccions o relats interminables i feixucs que zzz.
Per molt que sigui un reflex del costat fosc del somni americà, per molt que els relats siguin tan contudents com confusos i que el treball de clarobscurs sigui magistral, la majoria d'històries m'han semblat una castanya, palles mentals del narrador que giren tota l'estona sobre el mateix eix però no acaben de dir res.
Ja l'estic oblidant.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I didn't know when I started reading this is that this book is actually a collection of older and newer stories by Lane. The first third of the collection features older stuff. It's a lot more experimental and stream-of-consciousness and not really drawn too well. I love strange and experimental stuff, but I couldn't really get into this. After the older stuff, we get into a lot of newer stuff; most of which follows a character named Jackie No Name. Now while this is strange as well, there is now a coherent story as well is some very fine art.

[John Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I gotta say it was fun going through some graphic lit. Love the artwork, and the motifs in the novel. Deranged, and accurate depiction of our country. Grotesque and yet, sublime. The artwork alone is worth the cost.

[Dair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic art (in a style akin to Charles Burns) and interesting stories with a loose theme of loners and drifters. Jumps around a bit, but still some interesting characters and thought provoking stories.

[Comics Alternative · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a...

[Dee · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a little too all over the place and experimental for me. I enjoyed some parts but most of the book wasn’t for me.

[Lucas Soria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pocas cosas me ha costado más leerme en mi vida. No entiendo como un cómic me ha podido parecer tan aburrido, es casi absurdo. Había historias que merecían la pena y atención dentro del cómic, pero para mí se veían engullidas bajo un mar de páginas de anuncios de motos y de cantantes negros idénticos que eran recortables o no sé qué.
Recomendado para reciclar

[Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Lane is probably miserable to hang out with. He reminds me of a couple friends in particular I used to have that took "being a writer" way too seriously. The type that hops a single freight train and thinks he's suddenly a part of American History. One thing those people do have in common, though, is a big imagination and an unironic fascination with stories and interesting things they can collect from culture and literature. They think this stuff really matters, and that makes for stories with an unashamed imagination that those of us who know better might not allow ourselves to get away with.

The moments where Lane tries to put himself along these old-timey characters is a bit annoying, but he always puts the imagination and fascination at the forefront, so that I forgive him almost every time. It would be easy to make fun of him, but in the end it's just so much more fun to go along for the ride. The noir-ish inky art meanders aimlessly between interrelated stories, historical interludes, scraps of notebook entries and dreams and it's really hard not to just love the degree to which Lane doesn't give a fuck about making a normal book. It's the perfect thing to keep by your bed and pick up every time you need to kill some time and let your mind wander rather than stare at your cell phone thinking something important might happen.

[Steve McCann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my thing.