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A Quiet Disaster
Philip was getting old. His face was getting wrinkled, his hairline was moving backwards and he was on the waiting list for a knee operation. It was his day off and he didn’t have any plans, so he ate his breakfast in front of the computer screen and asked himself “What do I want to do?”
A grand existential crisis, a surreal Bulgakovian satire, or simply A Quiet Disaster? We follow Philip on his day off work as he struggles to find meaning and happiness through the everyday decisions that make up a day. Why did he cross that street? Does he keep walking, or shelter from the rain? What will make him happy? And just why is that dog wearing glasses?
A grand existential crisis, a surreal Bulgakovian satire, or simply A Quiet Disaster? We follow Philip on his day off work as he struggles to find meaning and happiness through the everyday decisions that make up a day. Why did he cross that street? Does he keep walking, or shelter from the rain? What will make him happy? And just why is that dog wearing glasses?
- GenresComics
32 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2014
4 people want to read
About the author
Alex Potts
29 books4 followersAlex Potts’ work on art and artistic theory covers a number of areas - sculptural aesthetics and the history of sculpture, experimental practices and the aesthetics of realism in twentieth-century art, art and artistic theory in the nineteenth century, and Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment conceptions of the classical ideal. His main publication on the latter was his book Flesh and the Ideal: Winckelmann and the Origins of Art History (1994).
In addition to the book The Sculptural Imagination: Figurative, Modernist, Minimalist (2000), his work on sculpture includes a co-edited anthology of texts on modern sculpture, The Modern Sculpture Reader (2007; reissued 2012), and articles on David Smith, Alberto Giacometti and other twentieth-century sculptors.
In his more recent research he has been arguing for the larger significance of experimental forms of realism in post-war European and American art. This was the subject of the Slade Lectures in Fine Art he gave at the University of Oxford in 2008 and of the Kirk Varnedoe Memorial Lectures at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, in 2009, and also of his book, Experiments in Modern Realism: World Making, Politics and the Everyday in Postwar European and American Art, published by Yale University Press in 2013. The latter examines a variety of different kinds of art, from the postwar painting of De Kooning and Dubuffet to New Brutalist and Pop image and object making and actions and assemblages of artists such as Rauschenberg and Beuys.
In his current project, he is exploring ways in which political commitment informed conceptions of naturalism and realism as well as more abstract forms of representation in the art of the late-nineteenth and earlier-twentieth centuries.
- http://www.lsa.umich.edu/histart/peop...
In addition to the book The Sculptural Imagination: Figurative, Modernist, Minimalist (2000), his work on sculpture includes a co-edited anthology of texts on modern sculpture, The Modern Sculpture Reader (2007; reissued 2012), and articles on David Smith, Alberto Giacometti and other twentieth-century sculptors.
In his more recent research he has been arguing for the larger significance of experimental forms of realism in post-war European and American art. This was the subject of the Slade Lectures in Fine Art he gave at the University of Oxford in 2008 and of the Kirk Varnedoe Memorial Lectures at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, in 2009, and also of his book, Experiments in Modern Realism: World Making, Politics and the Everyday in Postwar European and American Art, published by Yale University Press in 2013. The latter examines a variety of different kinds of art, from the postwar painting of De Kooning and Dubuffet to New Brutalist and Pop image and object making and actions and assemblages of artists such as Rauschenberg and Beuys.
In his current project, he is exploring ways in which political commitment informed conceptions of naturalism and realism as well as more abstract forms of representation in the art of the late-nineteenth and earlier-twentieth centuries.
- http://www.lsa.umich.edu/histart/peop...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 25, 2016
The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is held every year, in the beginning of May. It's about a six-hour drive, round trip, from my city (Rochester, NY) and it's worth every minute. Besides the abundance of books by well-known artists, there's a tremendous amount of small press and self-published comics; every year I've gone, I always get a handful of books by artists that are unknown to me. This year, while wandering among the tables on the first floor of the Toronto Reference Library, I happened to randomly buy a copy of Alex Potts' "A Quiet Disaster" and it was exactly what I've come to expect from the festival: beautifully drawn, unorthodox, and charming.
Philip, the protagonist (if you can call him that) of "A Quiet Disaster," is your typical indie comics leading man: socially awkward, painfully self-aware, and kind of a loser. In most stories, he'd go through a long journey of self-discovery, emerging new and improved. Not so in this comic; over the course of a single work-free day, Philip does everything wrong, nothing earth-shattering but just enough to ruin his day off. And that's it. The story ends and Philip isn't any wiser or better than when his day started. It's a bold idea and it works, as much as a nothing-happens-in-the-story comic can work. "A Quiet Disaster" is helped by the fact that Potts' art is very appealing and his watercoloring is beautiful.
If you like comics full of epic life-or-death decisions or huge dramatic conflicts (or, really, where anything at all happens), then "A Quiet Disaster" is not for you. However, if you like seeing the unique possibilities of what comics can communicate (and appreciate wonderful art), you should check out this book. To use a tired cliche, there's really nothing quite like it.
Philip, the protagonist (if you can call him that) of "A Quiet Disaster," is your typical indie comics leading man: socially awkward, painfully self-aware, and kind of a loser. In most stories, he'd go through a long journey of self-discovery, emerging new and improved. Not so in this comic; over the course of a single work-free day, Philip does everything wrong, nothing earth-shattering but just enough to ruin his day off. And that's it. The story ends and Philip isn't any wiser or better than when his day started. It's a bold idea and it works, as much as a nothing-happens-in-the-story comic can work. "A Quiet Disaster" is helped by the fact that Potts' art is very appealing and his watercoloring is beautiful.
If you like comics full of epic life-or-death decisions or huge dramatic conflicts (or, really, where anything at all happens), then "A Quiet Disaster" is not for you. However, if you like seeing the unique possibilities of what comics can communicate (and appreciate wonderful art), you should check out this book. To use a tired cliche, there's really nothing quite like it.
April 17, 2026
A Quiet Disaster by Alex Potts is a surreal, compact narrative that transforms an ordinary day into an introspective and absurd exploration of meaning, choice, and perception. Through the character of Philip, the story examines the quiet unraveling of routine life and the subtle existential weight hidden within everyday decisions.
One of the most striking aspects of the work is its tonal balance between mundane realism and surreal absurdity. Philip’s simple day off becomes a framework for philosophical inquiry, where even minor decisions—crossing a street or seeking shelter—are imbued with unexpected significance. This creates a narrative rhythm that feels both humorous and contemplative.
The surreal elements, including the disorienting imagery and unexpected visual cues, enhance the sense of instability in Philip’s internal world. Rather than presenting a traditional plot, the work leans into experience and perception, encouraging readers to question how meaning is constructed in ordinary life.
Despite its brevity, the book carries a reflective depth that aligns with existential and satirical traditions. It invites interpretation rather than resolution, leaving space for readers to engage with its philosophical undertones.
Overall, A Quiet Disaster is a concise but thought-provoking piece that blends satire, surrealism, and existential reflection into a memorable meditation on the unpredictability of daily life.
One of the most striking aspects of the work is its tonal balance between mundane realism and surreal absurdity. Philip’s simple day off becomes a framework for philosophical inquiry, where even minor decisions—crossing a street or seeking shelter—are imbued with unexpected significance. This creates a narrative rhythm that feels both humorous and contemplative.
The surreal elements, including the disorienting imagery and unexpected visual cues, enhance the sense of instability in Philip’s internal world. Rather than presenting a traditional plot, the work leans into experience and perception, encouraging readers to question how meaning is constructed in ordinary life.
Despite its brevity, the book carries a reflective depth that aligns with existential and satirical traditions. It invites interpretation rather than resolution, leaving space for readers to engage with its philosophical undertones.
Overall, A Quiet Disaster is a concise but thought-provoking piece that blends satire, surrealism, and existential reflection into a memorable meditation on the unpredictability of daily life.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews