Off Season

by James Sturm

Rage. Depression. Divorce. Politics. Love. A visceral story that you can see, taste, and feel.

How could this happen? The question of 2016 becomes deeply personal in James Sturm’s riveting graphic novel Off Season, which charts one couple’s divisive separation during Bernie Sanders’s loss to Hillary Clinton, Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump, and the disorienting months that followed.

We see a father navigating life as a single parent and coping with the disintegration of a life-defining relationship. Amid the upheaval lie tender moments with his kids—a sleeping child being carried in from the car, Christmas-morning anticipation, a late-night cookie after a temper tantrum—and fallible humans drenched in palpable feelings of grief, rage, loss, and overwhelming love. Using anthropomorphized characters as a tactic for tempering an otherwise emotionally fraught situation, Off Season is unaffected and raw, steeped in the specificity of its time while speaking to a larger cultural moment.

A truly human experience, Off Season displays Sturm’s masterful pacing and storytelling combined with conscious and confident growth as the celebrated cartoonist and educator moves away from historical fiction to deliver this long-form narrative set in contemporary times. Originally serialized on Slate, this expanded edition turns timely vignettes into a timeless, deeply affecting account of one family and their off season.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Politics, Bande Dessinée, Adult

216 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2019

About the author

James Sturm is the author of several award-winning graphic novels for children and adults, including James Sturm’s America, Market Day, The Golem’s Mighty Swing and Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. He is also the founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies and the National Association for Comics Art Educators. He created Adventures in Cartooning with collaborators Alexis Frederic-Frost and Andrew Arnold. Sturm, his wife, and two daughters live in White River Junction, Vermont.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jamess...

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off Season is a beautifully anguished story told with anthropomorphic animals about a man and woman with two kids who are separated, created by great comics teacher (who began the Center for Cartoon Studies) and artist in the heart of his career, and this is his most important and most personal/emotional work so far. Sturm is known for doing work for kids, works on historical figures and sports, and this is the first story like this from him that I have read.

The story gives us background on how Mark and Lisa got together, and we see them apart but don’t really get a lot of background about why they separated until near the end. Information trickles in—depression, alcohol, and something that gets revealed near the end that I won’t name, something that doesn’t get forgiven. Much of what happens throughout is painfully raw and familiar in any separation story, especially one involving kids: Anguished kid moments, hurtful phone calls, painful family holiday visits, moments of explosive rage. None of it is surprising, but it is seriously sad and lovingly rendered.

The story takes place in late 2016, and the political anguish that happened then and continues, the story of a divided country, figures in as a kind of backdrop, but it doesn’t intrude too much. That Lisa is a Hillary fan and he is a Bernie guy, that Mark's Dad receives a MAGA hat from Mark's brother, this just adds a kind of layer of anxiety to the domestic strife.

There is only one place I felt like the story broke the plane of expectation. The last section/chapter is decidedly different than anything that comes before it and I won’t spoil it for you, but it is titled “Watching a Cat Cough up a Hairball During Suzie’s Piano Lesson” and all the illustrations are of that cat, as we learn from Mark how things are beginning to be resolved, in strange and surprising ways, for the couple. It’s a weird and kind of abrupt and largely unresolved conclusion, but I like it.

I imagine a number of readers may rate this book down for the strangeness and inconclusion of the ending, but after Sturm has largely unsurprised us through the book, what happens--and without our seeing what happens--that's intriguing to me. The juxtaposition of the cat images and the narrative shared by Mark makes this story suddenly interesting, makes me think.

The story is told from Mark’s perspective, but we understand the problems Lisa has with him, and we see her struggles with depression. I like that and find it all affecting. The title Off Season refers to a season that because of the separation is really “off’ for this family. It is also the title of one chapter where Mark goes with his kids to the shore, in the off season. Things are not as they would be in the summer, with lots of people, lots of fun energy, with the family together. It’s “off” in almost every way. I’ve lived this story, long ago, and so part of Off Season's appeal to me is the way it forces me to reflect on that off season time in my own life. It's a little raw in this respect. Maybe in part because of that, this is one of my favorite comics of the year so far.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mark is a contractor, father of two and estranged from his wife. In Off Season, we follow the trials and tribulations of being a father and the challenges of a working class man’s life in contemporary America. It’s set against the backdrop of the 2016 election though that’s incidental as it hasn’t got anything to do with anything. Ditto the fact that everyone’s drawn with animal heads.

Uh huh…? I really don’t know what the point of James Sturm’s latest comic was. I believe that it’s an accurate look at a working class contractor’s life but… why? It’s not an especially interesting life. What were we meant to take away from this? There’s the difficulties of being a parent, the crumbling marriage - ok; so what? It’s such an ordinary and unimpressive story.

It’s a well-made comic. Sturm knows how to tell a story in comics form - the writing and art are both ok - but Off Season is just depressing and pointless. It’s a dull book that I got really nothing out of other than the obvious message that being poor sucks - durr!

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2016 election of Donald Trump casts a pall over a marriage disintegrating under the weight of anger and depression. This oddly compelling domestic drama unfolds quickly with just two panels per page but captures the zeitgeist quite well. And despite the characters' dog heads, their humanity is quite evident.

Trigger warning: MAGA hat.

[Chihoe Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to hate Off Season off the bat as I thought that the backdrop of the 2016 US Elections was gimmicky and coloured commentary, but as the story went on, it actually felt like the right use and wasn't as big a focus as the beginning indicated.

Self-awareness ("using animals as human stand-ins is as old as storytelling" when the characters are all anthropomorphic), nuggets of wisdom ("maybe two people liking something for different reasons is only a fight that hasn't happened yet" in the context of a relationship), and both ("always better to leave too soon than stay too long" as a guide to life) makes Off Season a decidedly worthwhile read.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Off Season is a book of its time, detailing the inner life of a working-class man with a crumbling marriage during the election season that put Trump in the White House. Despite the characters being anthropomorphic, Mark and his concerns were so very human.

Mark and his wife are separated, with Mark struggling as a building contractor, as his main client can’t or won’t pay him. He is barely covering the bills, compared to his wife who stays in the family home and is buffered by family money. His two children play him off Lisa, especially his bratty daughter, and he struggles with being consistent with them. Somewhat estranged from his brother and his parents, Mark tries to reconnect with his parents, to discover his mother has cancer.

Surprisingly poignant, this story of a disintegrating marriage was very real and at times raw. I’ve always been the type to wonder about other people’s lives, as Facebook and Instagram tend to paint people as perfect and always happy. You never know what is going on behind closed doors, and this graphic novel shows both the messiness and the sweetness of family life. Mark is grappling with his role as a father, son and husband in the new reality of Trump’s America, and while some of his choices are not wise, you can’t help but root for him.

The ending is odd, and while there is a nugget of hope that Mark and Lisa’s marriage might be saved, the way in which they do so was off-putting to me. I had to restrain myself from being too judgy, as my own marriage is solid, but other marriages might need to find ways to make it work in ways that I could not envision myself. However, despite my not connecting with the ending, it somehow worked for the tone of this book.

Every page contains two panels done in greyscale. I think this simple panel construction suits the story well- straightforward and to the point. The pacing was well done, with several vignettes of family life that pulled at my heartstrings. At first, I wondered why the characters were portrayed as dogs, but the somewhat simply drawn portrayals let you connect with the character-driven story without extraneous details. This story of a family during an unsettling cultural moment was very well done and will make you reflect on your own family during off-season times in your life.

This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2020/06/0...

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our beginnings don't know our endings, but our endings know our beginnings. I'm paraphrasing Don Winslow, and it's a line that has stuck with me since I read it.

This graphic novel is about the dissolution of a marriage. The story unfolds via episodic chapters, where we learn about the couple, their kids, their lives, and slowly understand some of what created their estrangement. Anthropomorphic animals stand in for the humans, and I really liked the art, and color palette used - the moodiness of it all. It's a slow exploration, and while many complained about the ending - I think getting an update while watching a cat barf up a hairball captures some of life exactly right.

I liked it while reading it, but this is not one that has stayed with me, even a week or so after reading it. For people who enjoy (is that the right word?) this type of story, I'd highly recommend Marriage Story on Netflix.

[Carin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel shows a family of four (they are drawn as dogs but otherwise sure seem very human-like.) Lisa, the wife and mom, has moved out. After the election she has been shaken to the core and is rethinking a lot of things including her marriage. The story is told from the POV of the husband/dad. He works as a carpenter for a jerk who lies about work and paying him on time, his kids Suzie and Jeremy act out, and Lisa is alternately angry, withholding, and there are moments of tenderness. It is a difficult "off season" for all of them. Will they make it out the other side together?

I really wanted the book to continue. I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. I had really gotten into the characters and the story then and it seemed like there was a lot more to explore. This seems to be a recurring problem with me and graphic novels of all stripes, so I'm starting to wonder if the problem is me, not the books. That was my only real issue with it. It took a bit to get into it, but then I really identified with him, as an adult living in a post-2016-election world and with all the difficulties therein.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Published in Feb 2019, the “poor me” divorce story from the male perspective feels dated and cliche. Money troubles? Check. Family drama? Check. Nagging wife? Check. Trying to be a better dad but feeling guilty about falling short? It’s all here—and it feels like you’ve read it all before.

My biggest issue with the book is how the wife is drawn. All the characters are anthropomorphized animals, usually dogs. Lisa is noticeably the least animal-like in appearance, veering uncomfortably toward a caricature of an Asian woman—the hair, the squinty eyes, yikes. I flipped back through before writing this review and not once does she have anything other than lines for eyes. Nearly of the other characters, including the protagonist, get dots or actual eyeballs and thus more nuanced facial expressions. Ugh. Unnecessarily icky.

[Matthew Noe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melancholy and rage, in panel form.

(4.5)

[_Leselust_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein sehr toller Graphic Novel, der die Leser*innen tief eintauchen lässt in ein gespaltenes Amerika. Sturm zeigt am Beispiel einer Familie, was wohl in vielen Familien in den USA passiert. Wie die politischen Figuren die Menschen polarisieren und unterschiedliche politische Haltungen Familien spalten können. Und wie natürlich bei jeder Familie noch die persönlichen Schicksale und Hintergründe Einfluss nehmen.
Die Atmosphäre des Comics hat mir sehr gefallen. Ich mochte es, dass es in den eher tristen Blau- und Grautönen gehalten ist. Auch den Zeichenstil fand ich toll und die Verfremdung der Figuren in Tierform ist gelungen.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sparse, dreary, and terrible.

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Off Season, Mark narrates his daily struggles with his two kids, his soon-to-be-ex-wife Lisa, his somewhat dysfunctional family, and his irresponsible/uncaring boss against the backdrop of the 2016 presidential elections. In seemingly very little space, and stark, gray-toned panels, Mark's whole life unravels as he examines his anger, his failures, and the injustices others have inflicted on him. He recognizes that his anger and resentment are not just forgotten, but brewing inside as he goes through his daily life, trying to hold it together.

The emotional depth of the story is amplified by the art, and perhaps by the political events framing the personal events. In the end, it's hard to believe in hope as one once did before innocence's death (and perhaps the whole book brought out the melodramatic high schooler in me, despite the very grown-up content.) James Strum captures the mood and psychology of failed marriage and partitioned families very well. The parallels between the divorce and the nation's polarization is omnipresent.

Recommended for those who like hair balls, the beach in off season, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

[alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story-telling and the drawings but was dissatisfied with the overall lack of story or ending. It had like a peak point or crux where there was an emotional high and I was very engaged with what was happening and all the characters, but seemed to fall off at the end, almost like it wasn't finished, or..I understand that this story is one that's still being told and is ongoing given that this horrible man is still president, but it didn't make for a fully satisfying read sadly. Will definitely check out his other work, though!

[David Bruggink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second book by Sturm after Market Day. I thought it was really, really good, but I can also understand why other reviewers might take issue with the perceived lack of an eventful narrative. It reminds me a bit of the films of Hirokazu Koreeda, in that the “events” of the story consist as much of the emotional states, the internal reflections, and small social interactions as they do the actual things that occur.

The book takes place in the days leading up to, during, and shortly after the 2016 election. As such, the fractured nature of the national political climate forms the backdrop as the narrator describes the much smaller-scale, day to day events of his life as he feeds and transports his kids, works at his job as a contractor, and attempts to save his marriage. The atmosphere is suffused with exhaustion, both that which he feels as a parent of young children and that which he experiences trying to understand members of his family who are seemingly at both ends of the political spectrum. The characters, all anthropomorphic dogs, seemed very well imagined to me (my theory about the use of dogs rather than people is that perhaps with animals, it is more difficult to assume malevolent intent with their actions; it is easier for some readers, possibly, to have empathy for a Trump-supporting dog than a Trump-supporting human).

The reason I give five stars, aside from how well represented the children are, with their vacillation between silliness and causing the narrator such aggravation, which feels totally true to my life with a five year old, is that the book touches so intelligently on something: the dichotomy that appears between how someone votes and how they behave in life. At a time when our political discourse is largely poisoned, it has become near impossible to assume benevolent intent on the behalf of someone who votes differently from you… in my case, most of my family voted for Trump and I struggled to make that fact cohere with the fact that they loved me so much at the same time, yet also appeared willing to support the marginalization of many others in my social circles. It’s a quandary, for me at least, and this is one of the most moving works that I’ve read to touch on it.

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Maybe two people liking something for different reasons is only a fight that hasn’t happened yet.”

Strangely enough this happens to be the second graphic novel of 2019 that I have come across within the last 24 hours which has beasts as people. It's a curious enough technique and when done right it can be a provocative way of allowing us to see otherwise mundane people and settings in a new light.

With subjects of depression, anxiety, divorce and Trump this is certainly no rib tickler of a read. It’s also about the promises we make and the promises we break to others and ourselves. It has a moody, sombre quality about it. The panels have a cold and foggy feel that gives the impression that our canine protagonist is sleep-walking through his life, just trying to get by one day at a time.

This was a pleasant enough read, the pen work is efficient and the use of animals as characters doesn't compromise the story line or make it look ridiculous, instead it adds to it and glosses it over with a slow burning poignancy.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent graphic novel - that mostly occurs within the psyche of the protagonist - the narrator, who is trying to cope with a precarious existence juggling on the fly catch as catch can jobs - practically odd jobs, although he is a skilled contractor, with split child care responsibilities with his ex wife. He is frustrated with a range of problems in his seemingly luckless life although he does catch a few breaks (for example, he, his kids and his car survive sliding off into a ditch in a snowstorm). Still, the reader knows the central source of misery in his life is the disintegration of his marriage. Did his rage lead to his marriage breakup or vice versa? The drawing is excellent as is the text. That the characters are drawn with dog heads extends the flat, low-key, shades of grey, outlook of the work - despite the tension. The protagonist Mark is just a luckless or even, hapless, guy doing his best despite being caught in a web of circumstances he cannot control. Perhaps he is today's every-man.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is told in frames that are split between the protagonist’s thoughts on the top and the story below. He reflects on the action or discusses memories or narrates along. It was an interesting way of deepening the experience of the storytelling. Oh… did I mention the character’s are drawn as dogs? Yeah. I’m doing some thinking about that. Asking myself, why?

My heart was beating pretty hard while reading Off Season. Not because of the action on the page, but because of the tension built between and around the characters.

Highly recommended!

For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/04/10/of...

For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog

[Armando · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful story about divorce set in the backdrop of the 2016 US elections. I'm often not a huge fan of smaller comics like this, but this one was a breeze to get through.

I absolutely loved all the characters, they were almost immediately relatable and the main character especially. How he struggles going forward as a single father and struggling contractor during hard economic times was told especially well. And how the author caught all those little happy moments in a hailstorm of bad ones was just tragically beautiful.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blue-collar portrait of a marriage in decline. I think Sturm does a good job nailing the vibe, from the paycheck-to-paycheck frustrations of your car breaking down to rage-filled outbursts from dudes who don't exactly have a handle on their feelings.

The perspective feels different from what you typically see in "art comics," and the illustrations convey a rich range of feelings. "Off Season" doesn't capture a full story arc, but it's a compelling series of vignettes.

[Caleb Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Life is difficult, and navigating the seasons of life while all hope is sucked away from you as Donald Trump is elected president for the first time is brutally heart wrenching. This story was just so sad and points to the need for support and connection to our fellow decent human beings (even as this is illustrated with anthropomorphic animals).

Key takeaways: don’t be an asshole, we all need therapy, and a little love and kindness go a very long way.

[Remy · Rating 2 out of 5]

.....what was the point.

Sure, the art wasn't bad. Neither was the writing. But other than that I don't have much to say. The election doesn't even feature very heavily. One thing's for sure was that this monochrome, monotone darkness was definitely a good choice to illustrate how the world felt in 2016 when America elected their first orange president.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joyless graphic novel about marriage troubles during the winter of 2016. It feels like it was written with little to no introspection, more like a diary in drawing form. This approach isn't necessarily bad, but it was hard to connect to as a reader. The art is unadorned and the characters have dog's faces. And the ending feels rushed.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal and political, this graphic novel explores the implications of the Hilary-Bernie divide through a divorce. It's an intimate and sometimes painful look at work and divorce and depression and family. It feels very timely and relevant to many American experiences today.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even with the dog heads, I felt that this was very slice of life; authentic. The political background I thought was perfect, it added to realism and tension. I felt that Mark was sympathetic; a dad going through separation/divorce and a shitty job situation.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'd think this was a same-old story, but it was very compelling. I read it straight through.

[Kale · Rating 4 out of 5]

2016 horrorcore

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

a different kind of James Strum graphic novel, this is adult in content (divorce, politics) and language. not my favourite of his work

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Nate Hawthorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to a 3.5.

I found this graphic novel to be a lot like the movie, "This is 40". Some of the narrative about having kids and being married hits a little close to home. It makes it uncomfortable to read at some points. Overall it is an excellent snapshot of the times we are now living in. Even if the characters look like dogs...

[Eli Poteet · Rating 3 out of 5]

this set of stories was a quick read and i loved the unique shape of the hardcover book itself.

i feel as though this author was able to capture a specific political timeframe showcased by the main characters anguish and emotionally charged struggles.