Vera Bushwack

by Sig Burwash

Alternate cover edition of ISBN-13: 9781770467118, ISBN-10/ASIN: 1770467114

A uniquely thrilling and emotive fantasy ride along a sea-bordered highway

The wondrous rustic landscape of Nova Scotia bursts from the page in Vera Bushwack , where reality gladly gives way to fantastical flights of fancy before gently coming back down to earth. A chainsaw fires up and Drew’s vision blurs. Their body vibrates alive with the whrrr of the engine, the whiff of gas. Drew dissolves as their alter-ego, Vera Bushwack, takes charge. Assless-chaps-wearing, unflinching Vera slashes through thick trunks, felling trees righteously from the back of a majestic steed.

Vera’s here to help, of course. Drew needs to clear the land for their future cabin in the woods. And if it weren’t for Vera’s brazenness, Drew may, ironically, fall reliant on others to learn self-reliance. Nevertheless, men enter Drew’s orbit, all too eager to explain how things work―an aggravating occurrence that comes crashing into Drew as dependably as the nearby ocean waves.

Joy, anger, grief, and self-acceptance ripple through these pages with Sig Burwash’s hilariously expressive pencil drawings and flair for buoyant watercolors. Approaching something like liberation, our protagonist comes to terms with past traumas, boundaries, and the many expressions of themself.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Queer, LGBT, Graphic Novels Comics, Canada, Mental Health

267 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2024

About the author

Other published work.

Reviews

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ambitious, impressive graphic novel debut that is kind of like three stories in one. Set in rural Cape Breton, it stars a nonbinary person, Drew, roughing it on their new property and building themselves a cabin, learning to use and maintain tools, felling trees for lumber, learning carpentry skills, and more. So that's story one.

It's also a beautiful love story between Drew and their dog Pony and their adventures exploring the woods. I loved Pony, what a character!

Story three: a narrative comprised of gender power fantasies and Drew's ferocious, assless-chaps-wearing, horseback-riding alter-ego, Vera Bushwack, into whom Drew escapes when they're in the zone chainsawing, dirt biking, or another engrossing physical activity.

This graphic novel is deeply feminist and has a lot to say about masculinity, sexual assault, and mansplaining. The art is expressive and mostly minimalist. Mostly each section has a one-coloured background with line drawings forgrounded, so when contrasting colours are used together (like in the drawing used on the cover) it has a great effect.

Highly recommended!

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this one. A very personal tale, I imagine there's a lot of parallels between Burwash and the protagonist Drew.

Drew is a young woman who moves into the woods of Nova Scotia. She adopts a dog Pony and gets help from a young man to learn how to use a chainsaw as she clears land and builds herself a cabin. She's working on her independence after having bad experiences with men. Dealing with anger and self-acceptance, exploring sexuality and challenging gender roles. It has similar themes to a lot of comics Drawn and Quarterly has been publishing over the past decade.

I love the crazy faces Burwash uses and the sequences when Drew is in the flow - either chainsawing or dirtbiking the art shows her riding a horse.

At one point Drew is dirtbiking, her dog Pony runs alongside her. A truck comes up to catcall Drew which gets her so mad she drives off and leaves poor Pony alongside what appeared to be a highway. I was super worried Pony wouldn't find her way back home.

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is simultaneously a fairly quiet story of a gender-nonconforming queer living with just a dog on a piece of rural property, working on building a cabin from scratch; and also an ambitious exploration of gendered power fantasies. At the start, Drew is learning how to operate a chainsaw to cut trees and clear property from a rural neighbor. Flashbacks and phone calls reveal how Drew got her dog, some of the shitty men she's had to deal with, a past lover who helped her cut a trail to the river, and a tomboy childhood. These scenes of rough realism are interrupted when Drew jumps on her dirt bike or revs the chainsaw and her fantasies spin out across the page, full of wild horses, monster trucks, naked cowboys, symbols of complete and total freedom. This book is deceptively complicated, full of bold creative choices that I really appreciated, even if they didn't all work for me. I have a feeling this story is going to stick in my head for a long time.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drew has purchased a plot of land in a rural area and is camping there with their dog, Pony, while clearing trees and building a cabin on their own. They've formed an acquaintance with a local named Spoons, working together to fell and process trees, trading off days on their respective properties.

Running their chainsaw or riding their dirt bike off-road makes Drew feel like the cowboy on the cover, running wild through the countryside with Pony. Driving their truck morphs them into homages to Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's Rat Fink covers for CARtoons magazine. But their interactions with men put them on edge, watchful for sexual harassment and remembering bad experiences from the past. Rough emotions that arise get smoothed over through the empowerment of work accomplishments and soothing time with Pony.

It's all slow slice-of-life, mood, and reflection with a fascinating character who kept me riveted as I discovered new facets of their life and personality page by page.

FYI: There is a lot of nudity and also a brief but graphic bit of masturbation that may shock the prudish.


(Best of 2024 Project: I'm reading all the graphic novels that made it onto one or more of these lists:
• Washington Post 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2024
• Publishers Weekly 2024 Graphic Novel Critics Poll
• NPR's Books We Love 2024: Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels

This book made the Post list.)

[Bailee Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet book, I loved the dog pony and how the protagonist went off the grid and how they interwove themes of gender along the way. Visually I loved all the contrast/ use of complimentary colours and how they used colour to show emotion and really emphasize things. The line work was super expressive too! It was also so cool to recognize places in Cape Breton in the story from the drawings.

[Chris Brook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another 2024 Drawn and Quarterly title. This was a trip. A very dreamlike tale of a non-binary person who lives in the Nova Scotia woods with their dog who then transforms into a chainsaw-wielding almost superhero that tears through the woods on horseback. It was a ride.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure what to say or how to explain this one. The main character Drew is a real person (who parallels the author it would seem if you read the bio info) and their non-binary identity is important to the story and its themes. Their alter-ego is the title “character” Vera Bushwack, who takes over the pages with wild horseback rides, in assless chaps, wielding a chainsaw. Drew fantasizes about or imaginatively becomes Vera when they are in the groove cutting down trees, off-roading on a dirt bike, or when anger and resentment kicks in. Phone conversations and flashbacks reveal much about who Drew is and why they have decided to live alone in the woods (although with a significant companion, the dog Pony) building a cabin. Read it yourself. It’s good and a meaningful meditation on male/female relationships and the struggles of individuals (especially young females) to create identity and build a confident self, fulfilled and secure, in our modern world.

[Laurent De Maertelaer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heerlijke grafiek en wat een verfrissende, heldere kijk op gender en seksualiteit. Nog van dat.

[Michi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy the beautifully complex yet also silly and simplistic expression of a genderqueer character working towards their dream and diving into their fantasies.

The art style looks like final concepts of what will be comedic and heartfelt animated movies, which brings about the ambient of the large wooded area where the main character Drew lives and works. I can trace the influence of Kate Beaton and her love for Cape Breton in this book as well. Other characters in Drew’s life appears to reveal a piece of their character; but of course, my favorite is their loyal companion Pony. I can see the author themselves inserted into this Drew as well, with their motorcycles, their cabins, and their dogs Pony. There is not much of a narrative here, but I do enjoy learning about Drew and how they find little things every day to live their best life.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't resist the title and the cover image, and it delivered what I should have expected. But I also should have realized that I am not the intended audience, and didn't really need to read this book. So it's getting 4 stars not because I enjoyed it that much, but just because I support folks telling their stories in whatever way they wish to (but keep in mind there's some NSFW bits, and it's not a book for kids, just in case the cover gives you the wrong impression). I have to love a book with so much maniacal chainsaw action, yet with safety instructions instead of blood and gore. Maybe the book should get 5 stars for that alone.

[kate j · Rating 4 out of 5]

the colors in this book are absolutely, absolutely stunning. half melancholy-meditative, half giddy, goofy gender-euphoric, the body is drawn here in the way i always want to: functional, attentive, powerful.

there is a bolt in the middle of this book that made me start to cry. i thought i felt fine about it (perfectly neutral) and then i turned the page to overwhelm by all that goes unspoken and understood and experienced when you have touched — in your life — some degree of female socialization. it makes me want to scream, too. maybe i should get a chainsaw.

[Amica Huynh · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was my first time reading a graphic novel as an adult with more adult themes and i really loved it. super amazing art work, the movement and colors and everything about the art was so great at story telling. lots of moments that were tender and also emotionally jarring, but presented in a digestible way. really enjoyed reading this and had so much fun!

[Joshua Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

not sure what I expected out of this when I got it at the library but it was definitely this

[Kayla Zabcia]

DNF; page 15

godawful art; I'm not in the business of punishing myself via book

[Andrea Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sat down and read this book during a break in a timberframe workshop raising party.

Recently I made the goal that next year is the year I’m going to learn how to use a chainsaw. This book is a lovely queer manual for how to use a chainsaw, while also processing queer experience. Absolutely perfect for my life.

I also love that this book was passed on to my friend by someone who had been passed the book with instructions to pass it on. I’m not great at that but maybe when I find this book I’ll buy two copies, one for myself and one to pass on.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
This book had me saying "HELL YEAH" in my head a lot, as I saw a lot of myself in Drew. The way they unleash while chainsawing, driving, or running with their dog felt so true and relatable. The sudden color changes kept me engaged, as moody transformations continually spiraled throughout the book. There are a lot of wordless pages in this story, that somehow effectively reveal a very tender and human side of Drew: one where they reckon with loneliness, gender euphoria, societal expectations, and trauma. The book also highlights the importance of having a canine companion, which is just downright sweet. A very fun and real read.

[Izzy Pilares · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has verified that I am, in fact, such a huge fan of most, if not all, artists that come out of Vermont’s Center for Cartoon Studies. This felt like a fresh, queer, take on the “dude in the woods” story that soooo many straight white men have claimed over centuries now.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Drawn & Quarterly production of a first and ambitious graphic novel by Sig Burwash (they/them) about Drew, aka Vera Bushwhack, a non-binary person who decides to move by herself to outback Novia Scotia and build a cabin. She adopts a dog named Pony and periodically plays with Pony as if they were becoming a dog. Vera learns how to use a chainsaw from a neighbor and then has fantasies about riding a horse in (publisher's description) "assless" chaps brandishing a chainsaw.

Many of her fantasies seem humorously and/or admirably aggressive and fun until we learn through cell calls to a friend that they have had some bad relationships with men, so some of this kooky power fantasy tripping just may have to do with anger. And yes, increasingly it is. Mental health and the need to heal is a central theme in this book, for sure.

But in many ways it is also a fun, even often joyful story of developing independence where Vera have to navigate between mansplaining and/or verbally assaulting men and their need for help from/dependence on the good'uns who just want to be good neighbors. But it is no easy road they are on.

Very unique and complicated and concerning and fun and beautifully illustrated.

[Joey DeFabio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super interesting read. There’s a real sense of freedom with this visual style that mirrors the story well. The sketchy line art, reverse spot color pages, and big wide open layouts make you feel like you’re in the woods alongside the protagonist.

I liked this novel but I think just the narrative flow of the story didn’t work for me. It’s basically a long character-study with episodic moments of conflict (ie the story lacks a driving force pulling you from page to page throughout the entirety of the novel). I don’t in any way want to diminish the importance or gravity of the story being told, but the most burning question I had in this novel was “What exactly is going on?”

The answer to that question is eventually resolved in the climax, but Im just not a huge fan of saving vital context for the end. I think if I had a clearer understanding of who Drew was in the beginning of the story, even if only slightly, I would have enjoyed the events of story more because I would have had some awareness of their emotional impact.

All that said, this is definitely still a novel worth reading for yourself and forming your own opinion on. As a debut novel, I would still love to read this author’s next work to see where they go next.

[Shazza Maddog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drew is a dreamer - they want to be possibly other than what they are. Building a house out in the woods, away from everyone, is the plan. There are some things Drew needs, though - a clearing to build, supplies, and maybe a friend who might be a dog named Pony.

When Drew handles machines - their chainsaw, their dirt bike - they go on a mental adventure, becoming a wild-eyed cowboy, riding a wild horse, wearing chaps and a hat and nothing else. These flights of fancy take Drew through many adventures while their life moves slowly, gently on, like the nearby river where Drew bathes and swims.

This is an interesting look at turning your back on most of society and learning to live on your own.

[Meggie Ramm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drew lives in the wilds of Nova Scotia with their dog Pony, building a cabin and trying to find peace after a past of men being men. 

This comic is a balm to the eyes of anyone who wants to responsibly fuck off into the woods. Drew makes a living with their chainsaw, felling trees and cutting brush, with intermittent drawings showing the logistics of these activities. The narrative is occasionally interrupted with dream sequences of Drew's alter ego, a mustang riding chainsaw wheeling cowboy named Vera Bushwack. I don't know if this comic is for everyone but it hit me in my forest dwelling queer identity, and reading it is an experience. Good for fans of Eleanor Davis’s You & a bike & a road.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was two different stories on the surface - one about a quiet life in the wild with their beloved companion Pony the dog and another about a fantastical life in assless chaps with Pony as an actual pony. Interwoven in that and in the depths is a story about trauma, gender exploration and identity, sexual violence, loneliness, friendship.

I loved the visuals of the rivers in the mountains with the sun overhead, splashing down through the pages.

It was dreamy, it was intimate, it was quiet and subtle and fantastical.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drew is building a cabin in the woods, alone except for her dog Pony. She has some angst and trauma to work through. The image on the cover is a recurring fantasy of power and independence. The story could be empowering or frustrating or just realistic as Drew succeeds at her mission but it doesn't solve all her problems. The art is black and white line art with flat colors across the whole page. The faces on the characters are mostly the same, so they can be tough to tell apart without other visual cues.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books in general start out at 3 stars for me and then I adjust as I go. For quite a while, there were spikes of Vera Bushwack that I loved (especially the 'wilder' part where the main character's & the dog's eyeballs bug out - so evocative!), but it wasn't really coming together for me. Then there's a disturbing but extremely realistic event that is described, and suddenly the whole book coalesced for me & became much richer & I loved it. I can't wait to see more from the author.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the use of color in this graphic novel. It supported the atmosphere of the scenes very well. I also thought the main character and the story were interesting, although I would have preferred a clearer plotline. Despite that it still managed to keep me interested in Drew's quest to build a cabin in the woods in order to feel independent and safe.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up a copy at Local Heroes in Norfolk, VA and read this in bed with my partner. Vera Bushwack by Sig Burwash is a tender, offbeat exploration of how self-imposed isolation can become a surprising path to self-discovery. It's strange and sweet in all the right ways, a celebration of finding yourself by getting a little lost first.

Dog illustrations are 10/10 <3

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very strange graphic novel that I really did not get. The main character is very close to their dog and enjoys using a chainsaw. The art was well done, if at not a smidge vulgar but the storyline didn't make a ton of sense to me.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like comics about gender and the fantasy of living in powerful seld sufficiency, just you, your chainsaw, and your pony? Then this is the book for you!
It's good, really well told and with a lot of room to sit and think about what it's saying.

[Aviva · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a short read but super emotionally intense, like viscerally intense, and not an inner or outer life you usually get to experience that intimately. Rated Mature for graphical cartoon acts of sacred self-love, accounts of SA, and having to worry about the dog.

[Atlas Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the splash pages but felt like most of the comic had mediocre line quality.