Junction

by Nathan Jurevicius

For generations the Face Changers have made the clay tokens that change the winds and faces of their kin. This month the youngest is tasked to take the ten thousand footsteps to the top of the mountain and engulf the town in the winds of change. Inspired by the parental tall tale of warning "if the wind changes your face will stick like that," as well as Judeo-Christian mythology and the mythology of Australian aboriginal tribes, Junction combines a variety of influences to produce a magical piece of modern mythmaking. Nathan Jurevicius is an Australian/Canadian illustrator who has worked in a variety of media including designer toys, video games, and animation. He is best known for his acclaimed multi-platform project, the psychedelic and heartfelt modern folktale Scarygirl. Nathan currently lives and works in Toronto.

Genres: Picture Books, Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Childrens

52 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2015

Reviews

[Kye · Rating 5 out of 5]

to read this under cover surrounded by a storm could not have been more fitting.
a book where deep, slow breathing is necessary. not to cope with heavy subject matter but to stop rushing through what seems such a simple read.
i am so grateful for stories told through images that i have to scan from corner to corner.
there is such depth in world building in so few pages, through such a simple story. but it is not simple.
the token must be caught by a serene hot air balloon, pass through congregations of laughing stalagmites, and roll its way through impossible labyrinths.

koyama press in my opinion is unmatched, this is my first read of Jurevicius’. it has been a long while since i have found a comic that has made me feel this full.

[Emkoshka · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's weird and then there's so weird you don't have a clue what's going on. The illustrations are quite striking but the story, something about going to a mountain to order an annual 'face changing' for the community, was beyond me. I guess I like my surrealism underpinned by some reality still.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 2 out of 5]

No balloons- children's book style

LSDistracting overzealous art with a ten minute script.

The exhaustingly lush landscapes and characters overpower the story with too much to look at and TRY to understand. "What's this-that-and-the-other-thing and why?" style on every page.

[Juta Kruusmäe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sürr visuaal

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'm not sure that I understand everything about this story, I found it strangely compelling. The narrator, the youngest member of his family, has spent the past year rehearsing for the important role he/she will play today. The ritual involves fashioning a clay token and stamping it with an image, walking more than 10,000 steps to the top of the mountain, and inserting the token into the appropriate place. Doing so will start a transformation in which everyone becomes something new and different. I loved the bright images used throughout this book and the narrator's reflections on what happens to the token once it's gone as well as the sense of possibilities that seem present on every page. If a new year heralds the chance to make changes in one's life, then this tradition seems to offer everyone the opportunity to be born anew in some different form. The artwork seems to beckon readers to look more closely in order to note the strangely familiar and yet familiarly strange shapes, objects, and individuals that appear in these pages. I can imagine choosing one page or image and creating my own story from how it makes me feel or what it makes me consider.

[Natalie Pietro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of the Beatles Yellow submarine video. Very psychedelic in a far out kind of way. Something strange compelled me to read this. I was hypnotized by the beautiful colors, trippy creature that metamorphosis each year into something new, and the dazed writing. I think I'm going to chill and indulge in this juicy book again. For I have seen the vivid world this book has to offer and i just want to crawl inside and get lost.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enticingly surreal and compelling in its weirdness. Shaun Tan fans will appreciate this one.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully rendered, surreal all-ages fable. This one carries a thumbs-up blurb from master phantasmogorist (is that a word?) Jim Woodring on the back cover, so you *know* it's quality.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychedelic trip into another world of transformation. Beautiful colours and illustrations.