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Offhand: A Johnny Wander Collection
Offhand is a collection by Ignatz Award Winner Yuko Ota, drawn with her offhand while battling with wrist issues starting in 2012.
Hardcover
First published August 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 31, 2018
I saw parts of this injury and re-injury saga in real-time via Hirsh and Ota's Johnny Wander posts, but I think this is the first time she's laid out the whole ordeal.
Anyway, this book is a liminal critter. It's mostly just an artbook, but there's the edges of a memoir poking out at the sides, and you also get the sense that the book-as-physical-object might be part of some complicated personal catharsis that the reader is only incidental to.
I enjoyed it and I like having a copy, but I don't know that I'd recommend going out of your way to find it unless you're already an avid follower of Ota's work, in which case you probably backed the Kickstarter anyway and got your book the same time I did.
Or unless you're a work-through-the-pain type in need of a scared-straight cautionary tale! Bc damn. (Artists and craftspeople and deskjobbers, please take care of yourselves and watch out for your fellows.)
Anyway, this book is a liminal critter. It's mostly just an artbook, but there's the edges of a memoir poking out at the sides, and you also get the sense that the book-as-physical-object might be part of some complicated personal catharsis that the reader is only incidental to.
I enjoyed it and I like having a copy, but I don't know that I'd recommend going out of your way to find it unless you're already an avid follower of Ota's work, in which case you probably backed the Kickstarter anyway and got your book the same time I did.
Or unless you're a work-through-the-pain type in need of a scared-straight cautionary tale! Bc damn. (Artists and craftspeople and deskjobbers, please take care of yourselves and watch out for your fellows.)
January 13, 2025
This is a graphic novel I’ve wanted to read for a while now. Got the excuse to purchase it when it went on sale this holiday season :)
It’s a personal story about an artist realizing that she messed up her drawing hand and starts to rely on her left. It’s incredible what Yuko Ota is able to do with her left hand over time.
The story is short and it’s mostly a book of drawings she drew with her left hand, but I’m very thrilled with the purchase.
The story, while short, was real and authentic. I absolutely love Yuko Ota’s drawing style and her duo tone (?) coloring. It’s simple yet very satisfying, and she’s an amazing inker. I also like her attention to detail when it comes to how her stories are packaged. The holograph of her wrist is a nice touch. I also saw the parallel with Cecilia and Yuko and realized there’s a personal touch to her characters and liked it even more.
Glad to add another of her books to my collection.
It’s a personal story about an artist realizing that she messed up her drawing hand and starts to rely on her left. It’s incredible what Yuko Ota is able to do with her left hand over time.
The story is short and it’s mostly a book of drawings she drew with her left hand, but I’m very thrilled with the purchase.
The story, while short, was real and authentic. I absolutely love Yuko Ota’s drawing style and her duo tone (?) coloring. It’s simple yet very satisfying, and she’s an amazing inker. I also like her attention to detail when it comes to how her stories are packaged. The holograph of her wrist is a nice touch. I also saw the parallel with Cecilia and Yuko and realized there’s a personal touch to her characters and liked it even more.
Glad to add another of her books to my collection.
September 4, 2018
Yuko is one of my top-time favourite artists, and as she started to experience wrist pain, she served as a strong motivation for me to try to recover from my owns aches and pains. I love seeing the amount of effort she put into learning to accommodate her circumstances, and I am happy to see her on her road to recovery. I am so glad to hold in my hands now these sketches and progress shots over the years of effort!
June 23, 2018
I really enjoyed seeing the progression of art over time! The chronological framing gave things a quiet emotional resonance on top of the art itself. Unexpectedly, I ended up liking the recurring gesture drawings the best: they reminded me that not everything that's simple is therefore easy; practicing the basics is a simple way to build a skill, it takes dedication.
July 1, 2019
Part art book, part memoir.
I’m always a fan of delving through artist books and sketchbooks of my friends so this was totally up my alley.
Nothing too substantial in terms of writing, but you see the struggle of the artist’s trying to adapt her left hand to do the work of her right while she dealt with the medical procedures and healing thereafter.
I’m always a fan of delving through artist books and sketchbooks of my friends so this was totally up my alley.
Nothing too substantial in terms of writing, but you see the struggle of the artist’s trying to adapt her left hand to do the work of her right while she dealt with the medical procedures and healing thereafter.
May 31, 2018
As an artbook it might not seem that impressive since the whole premise is the artist is doing sketches with her offhand. As a story of dealing with chronic pain and learning how to cope it is astounding. Strongly recommended, especially if you're a fan of Johnny Wanderer
June 14, 2018
I love the spirit of this art book and what it says about getting well. I have always enjoyed Yuko Ota's art and this is no exception. The musings on injury hit home exceptionally well.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews