Artichoke Tales

by Megan Kelso

Megan Kelso’s first new book in four years is a fantastic generation-spanning saga. Megan Kelso has proved herself a master of the cartoon short story with Queen of the Black Black (1998, to be republished by Fantagraphics in 2010) and Squirrel Mother (2006, currently in its second printing). With Artichoke Tales , six years in the making, Kelso expands her range (and her page count) by creating a family saga spanning three generations and an entire continent.' Artichoke Tales is a 176-page coming-of-age story about a young girl named Brigitte whose family is caught between the two warring sides of a civil war, a graphic novel that takes place in a world that echoes our own, but whose people have artichoke leaves instead of hair. Influenced in equal parts by Little House on the Prairie , The Thorn Birds , Dharma Bums , and Cold Mountain , Kelso weaves a moving story about family amidst war. Kelso’s visual storytelling, uniquely combining delicate linework with rhythmic, musical page compositions, creates a dramatic tension between intimate, ruminative character studies and the unflinching depiction of the consequences of war and carnage, lending cohesion and resonance to a generational epic. This is Kelso’s first new work in four years; the widespread critical reception of her previous work makes Artichoke Tales one of the most eagerly anticipated graphic novels of 2010. 176 pages of color comics

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Adult, Coming Of Age

176 pages, Hardcover

First published July 6, 2010

About the author

She graduated in 1994 from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.

Kelso started working in the 1990s, with the minicomic Girlhero, which won her a Xeric Foundation grant in 1993. She has since published several other projects including Queen of the Black Black and The Squirrel Mother. She was the editor of the female cartoonist anthology, Scherherazade: Stories of Love, Treachery, Mothers, and Monsters (published by Soft Skull Press). Among many other publications, Kelso had a story (which she co-created with Ron Rege) in SPX 2004.

She received two Ignatz Awards in 2002, for Outstanding Artist (for Artichoke Tales #1 and her story in Non #5) and Outstanding Minicomic (for Artichoke Tales #1).

From April 1 to September 9, 2007, Kelso published a weekly comic strip in The New York Times Magazine titled Watergate Sue. She is currently completing her Artichoke Tales graphic novel for Fantagraphics Books.

Kelso has also created work for several magazines, including the now-defunct Tower Records' Pulse Magazine.

Kelso is married and lives with her husband and daughter in Seattle, Washington.

Reviews

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of the day, anything that requires this much myth- and world-building deserves extensive rounds of applause & even roses flung. The saga is comical and sad at the same time, sometimes within the same cartoony frame. Perhaps one big detriment is how all the main characters look so similar to each other. Yeah, the character democracy must be present and the fact that they are all blood-related MUST be a theme; however, I cannot help but think that were they more distinguished looking, their particular story lines might have become more poignant: each individual tale would stand out more, in & of itself. "Artichoke Tales" ...call 'em the R-rated Smurfs.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm. pondering. . .odd stuff, this.

It took a bit of perseverance to stay in the tales to figure out where the author wants a reader to go. I am still not sure I found it, but suspect I did.

The Artichokies are endearing beings, who are working through their experiences in their world(s), and if you stay with them, you'll see it is not unlike your own. They are motivated by our general senses (being an Artichokie does not seem to imbue them with any super-sensory powers or aspects that are much different than yours or mine, other than artichoke hair -in all places. go figure). Still the responses and solutions to the obstacles they face are relatable. Sorta, kinda.

By the end, if you stayed, you'll probably feel like I do at the end of every meaningful read. Wistful, and wondering . . . is it what was given what you have taken away? exactly or in part? at all ?

My wondering has persisted, and wonders on, but with a melancholic fondness.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a complex and significant story in here, but it is obscured by the fact that all the characters look nearly identical. They are very sweet-looking, and have unique personalities, but it takes an entire page to figure out which person's story we are hearing, and then on the next page, it has shifted to a flashback or story-within-a-story, but you may not understand that until half-way through that page!

I decided that I should buy my own copy, and color it in. I could give each character a color-scheme, and just have them wear that color through the whole book. I think it would complement the fact that the entire book is in dark-green ink. Because it has sex, it won't be in the kids' section, but the drawings are very child-like, and the story - of a fantasy world where everyone sports an artichoke-shaped hairdo - would otherwise work for younger kids. Essentially, if I understood correctly, Kelso intertwines a family's inter-generational relations and personal quests with a conflict between the northerners who emphasize the usefulness of machines, and the southerners, who emphasize the usefulness of hunting/gathering, which is badly managed by a beautiful kohlrabi-like queen. Some aspects are over-simplified, like the absence of any other machines besides cannons, while others are carefully complex, like the varied opinions in the community about traditional faith versus the scientific method, and how foreign-thinking people are confusing to the general population.

Besides the fact that there are adult relationships (& unprotected sex & other sexy hugging & kissing, etc), the ambiguous ending also makes it for more mature readers than me. :)

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is in so many ways an improvement over Kelso's Squirrel stories, in scope, artistic care, and invention, but as will be obvious, all the characters look almost completely alike! All versions of the same artichoke character. That almost singlehandedly undermines some cool stuff happening here: a fantasy world with two areas represented and in conflict with each other--People from the North who are vegetarian, herbal remedy healers, mushroom hunters, lovers, cooler people, who contrast with Southern more industrial types.. like city vs county, Us vs Canada.. yet all of whom look the same. The art work is crisp and colorful and the story seems inventive in its bringing gentle environmental issues to a fantasy story, but it is, in spite of its scope and ambition (this is her first novel, quite long versus her early, spare story collections), not that memorable to me. I think it's that I couldn't get that into the characters, or they couldn't get their hooks deeply enough into me. It looks like a kid story, cute little veggies, but isn't, exactly. . . there's some mildly but still pretty clearly adult scenes, not graphic, they're actually nice, but I'm talking categories here. And that title? Yikes. Not that indicative of the scope and ambition of the story. . . I dunno, I feel kinda badly beating up on a veggie tale with a certain kind of sweetness to it, but there it is.

[Michelé · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because the art style and title were cute. Like many other reviewers, I found the style deceived. The content isn’t whimsical and light like the art. The book is about generational war and one particular family who’s pretty dysfunctional. I personally like more serious stories, but in this case, was too jarred by the child-like art depicting somewhat detailed death, hunting, and numerous (debatably indulgent) sex scenes. This turned off feeling may also be connected to my lack of real feeling for any of the characters.

Characters who looked way too similar. The story didn’t use their similarity at all in the plot, so there was no reason for the confusion it created, especially considering we hop between people and timelines without warning. Said jumping was an aspect I actually thought was done well except for the confusion about who we were following.

Lore wise, I don’t feel the history was explained thoroughly enough. I’m left with some confusion about the origins of the shrines and exactly how the sisters play in, as well as why/how a queen is just randomly born. (To name only the major ones)

I also think there was more to be explored for Adam and Brigitte. What did she want? What did he want? Clearly when he leaves, he convinces himself to; is this motivated by some undefined fear?

Ultimately, I’m not really interested enough to need to know. It wasn’t a “bad” book, and thus, I have no strong feelings about it. Overall, it’s a read I’m likely to forget.

[Joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ended up being a very high three stars, and I still cannot explain this book, it's so strange - the vibe and mood of it, the themes of it were rather normal... the book at the same time feels like slice of life, about the life of this girl (is girl the correct word??) and her grandma, with a mix of stories of war and family history. Now I will also say I liked the second half of the book much better, as things started to connect more, with really good story points, that led to a good ending!!!
Art wise, I really liked the art, it was unique, but simple, but with a really good use of the different colors with the different lines... now my only problem is that each character wasn't that unique in their own design, so sometimes not the easiest to tell apart.
Again, a solid read, but a strange one!!!

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned this twice. I forget which year I originally picked it up, but I abandoned it because I could not tell the characters apart. This year (2023) I thought I'd give it another try. I made it further and started to like the part about the queen, but then it fizzled and I felt that it wasn't worth the effort. Which is a shame because it seemed to be touching on interesting topics such as regional identity/culture, priorities of state, difficulties of government to balance what's important, war and rebellion...

I'm taking a look at the afterword and am somewhere between incensed and irked that one of the places she takes inspiration from is the Cascade Range. Does she think she's clever because of the Cascadia movement; does she support the creation of this new country?! *takes a breath* ah she's from Seattle, its more likely that's why the area inspired her.

I also had a hard time with her book Squirrel Mother

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to get into for me because the characters are, for the most part, drawn very similarly, with markers for "southerner" or "northerner" or "Queen", and it jumps back and forth in time, so it's hard to tell who is who. Even when a character uses another character's name it was hard for me to keep track of the family lineage. But eventually I got into the story, it just took over half the book. It was too bad that most of the relationships were presented in the same pattern: girl meets guy, they are coupled, they have a baby. I would have liked to see more variety of Artichoke Experience. And the war is very glossed over even though you get 2 sides of it. There is an attempt to show how it got started, something about... subsidies? or tax breaks. definitely fishes. And in the future somehow cannons are involved. Anyway. I would read more of Kelso's works because this is a good, though uneven, first long story.

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

A rather lengthy family saga spanning 3 generations. Yet dull and bland. With a few pointless sex scenes thrown in. One generation was awful enough. Now, multiply that by 3.

[Robert Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first became aware of this book when I saw a blurb about it in my college alumni magazine (The Evergreen Magazine, Fall 2010 vol, 32 no. 1)...Go Geoducks! I took interest in this book initially because it was written by a fellow alumnus, but also because it (like our beloved alma mater) appeared to be a little quirky and weird, but in a good way, and (dare I say it?) a little Seussian.

The story concerns a dichotomous country populated by persons with artichokes on top of their heads. I hear you asking, "Why do these people have artichokes instead of hair? Does it have any relevance to the story? Is it a gimmick on part of the author? Do they eat the artichokes on their heads? Does the carpet match the drapes?"

To answer your questions... Just because, Not really, Probably, Eww...No, and Apparently not.

Despite the gimickiness of the veg-heads, it actually does serve to illustrate that this is an alien world, populated by folks similar to us, but different as well. Some reviewers have complained that the artichoke heads take away individuality and make it difficult to identify the characters. This is true to some extent, as hair can be a major indentifier in illustrated stories. Also, it doesn't help that the clothes worn in this world are also quite similar and generic. It is necessary, therefore, to pay particular attention to facial features and body types to identify characters. It can be a little difficult, especially when new characters are added and the story jumps in time to younger versions of the characters. To help the reader, there is a pictorial family tree in the front of the book, and a map at the rear (nice additions).

This is a divided country... Those in the north primarily subsists on fishing and fighting, while the South lives on mushrooms, herbs and poetry. Once, this country and it's people were united as one, under the rule of a bubble headed young queen. That is until said queen became a despot and unleashed civil war. Now, a decade after the end of the war, the people must struggle with the consequences and overcome their prejudices and distrust of each other, as well as changing role of traditions.

There is a lot of deep solace and personal meaning evident in the world and characters that Miss Kelso has created. Much of the plot is cryptic and not easily digestible on just one reading. This book invites the reader to a challenge. If the reader accepts it, there is the promise of a fascinating and entertaining experience. Just have a little patience with it.

[Bob Redmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

With ARTICHOKE TALES, comix artist Megan Kelso, known heretofore for her short stories--particularly "Watergate Sue," which was serialized in the NY Times Magazine--has produced her first graphic novel.

The book tells the story of three generations of the Quicksand family, who are caught on both sides of a civil war between North (a Spartan, fish-eating, coastal people), and South (an Athenian people who live inland and eat mushrooms and wild berries). A Romeo-and-Juliet subplot also runs through the story, which is Shakespearean in its universal themes and unabashed lyricism.

All characters have artichokes for heads, which is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss' "Sneetch" tales, although the war and its morals (war is pointless) are not as broadly drawn as Suess' starred and starless Sneetches. Instead, Kelso draws finely, sometimes too finely: it's hard to tell the characters apart since they all look the same with their Artichoke heads. One might have hollow eyes, and another solid eyes; one might have freckles. But since the story has flashbacks, it's sometimes confusing whether we're looking at a young Ramona or her daughter Brigitte. Oh yes, the eyes.

The location of Forks and the nearby coastal beaches is a balm to the overbearing treatment the real-life setting got by Stephenie Meyers in the TWILIGHT series. Kelso's subtle humor is also evident in her naming of the other town "Ladle."

Her subtlety, in fact, is this novel's greatest strength: there's plenty of space in both the text and the drawing, which gives it an epic scope that's perfect for the fantastic story: in the gaps, the reader has room to imagine what real-life lessons apply. Not so far, then, from Dr. Seuss, just more complex and pensive, fitting for our current, complicated times. Worth a meditative cup of tea, a walk around the neighborhood, and a second read.

*

WHY I READ THIS BOOK: Kelso has been a fixture in the comix scene--and the Seattle comix scene--for a long time and while I'd read bits and pieces over the years, it was high time to give her work a better look.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled to see this beautiful full-length graphic novel from one of my all-time favorite cartoonists is finally in print. I remember picking up an issue of the minicomics years ago and getting immediately sucked into the story and then feeling bereft when no new issues appeared for years.

I've been following Megan's work since she was drawing Girlhero back in the 90's and it's amazing to me how her art has evolved over 20 years. She's developed a clear-line style that is rounded, graceful, and seemingly effortless -- but the level of care and detail in these pages is astounding. There are some gorgeous panels in this book -- especially the landscapes. The settings are characters in their own right, and this makes sense because the people in the book are so fiercely tied to their land and the way of life they have built upon it. Megan grew up in Seattle and you can definitely see the rocky, seastack-studded beaches of the Pacific NW in her depictions of the North. This book has a lot to say about the stories we tell ourselves to heal the trauma of conflict, and how those stories contain important truths that are far from factual. Once the weapons are laid down, it is these stories that make it possible for two opposing sides to peacefully, if warily, co-exist, and allow new connections and allegiances to form. My only complaint was that I found myself occasionally confused about when the story was taking place, because the narrative sometimes shifts abruptly from present to past and some characters look so similar it was difficult to keep track of who was who. Other than that minor issue, highly recommended.

[Lars Guthrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In another land, another place, there’s a small country. The North lives on fish and fighting. The South lives on herbs and poetry. That’s now, though, because before a dimwitted queen sucked all the joy and money out of it, it was all one queendom. There’s a family called Quicksand that lives in South now, but an upstart daughter named Brigitte (maybe, I’m always getting the names confused like her grandma—who remembers all the herbs’ names) falls in love with a cannoneer from North. It’s not easy to remember the characters’ names. They’re all wearing artichoke stems on their heads. The story is something like that, I think, anyway, because this graphic novel was not exactly accessible. That’s not made any easier by green lettering and green panels—and artichoke stem hats (hair?). It’s maybe supposed to be a deep allegorical tale or a metaphorical story about modern times and mythology, or perhaps a multi-generational saga of love and hate—beyond me, although I found a few moments of cute. But don’t be fooled by its look. It’s not a kids’ book.

[Raina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love odd things. Strange books. A little bit of the twist in my fiction.

But this was just too crazy of a concept for me. Kelso creates a fairly primitive society, where all the humanoid creatures have artichokes on their heads instead of hair. Her illustration is really very cute and accessible, and it looks like a kids book. But the chapters/short stories didn't make a lot of sense to me, and there is some fairly graphic sex, which becomes almost fetishistic because of the kid-friendly illustration style. I lost interest in the plot, and flipped through the pages to see how far she'd go with the sexuality. But yeah, she lost me. I wasn't enjoying it for myself, and there's no way I'll ever booktalk this to kids of any age. Too bad though - it's a nice looking package on the outside.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art= AWESOME (I love the water on page 82 and flipped back to look at it repeatedly. It's amazing that such simple lines can convey the ocean in such a beautiful way)
The story=I only finished it for the art.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the art, but the story was a bit lacking.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky, interesting, elegant fantasy war chronicle about a bunch of artichokes. Crafted with love in Seattle!

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

A promising idea and some appealing cover art ends up by underwhelming in this beautifully drawn but half-baked graphic novel about a fantasy world where everyone has artichoke style heads. There is however no fantasy involved other that the vegetable theme; in fact the artichoke heads are never referred to at all except visually in that the 'queen' character has a different style head. Other than that this is actually a gritty realistic tale of war and its consequences, of regional strife and difference, of the way generations remember and forget, the way they hold grudges and patch things up. It's also not really an adventure story or an action story. The war that forms the background to the stories told is often referenced and rarely drawn. The result is a quiet, sad book that never quite takes off and delivers on the big emotions it toys with.

The book is divided into chapters, each essentially a short story and often told by one of the older characters. The young female protagonist is the recipient of these stories, told by her mother, father and grandmother. When we return to her perspective (her fascination and romance with a wandering Northern soldier) we are back in a present day in which older generations remember the war and the young are moving on. Some of the recalled events take on a slight fairy tale feel, especially those involving the queen. We are also given differing perspectives (the queen's story is told twice) which opens up the possibility of various truths in this history of conflict. The world depicted is divided into an urban 'North' and a rural 'South' but it becomes clear that neither side truly understands each other, blame is a complicated business and even in the space of one generation interpretations of the war have become muddled.

Mixed in with the stories of conflict are attempts at simple economics; the queen's decision on fishery tariffs that cripples the southern economy and causes food shortages, the apothecary store owned by the grandmother which is a big part of their identity. There are a lot of interesting ideas and the world Kelso's sketches is tranquil, beautiful and aches with echoes of reality. She also tries to make her characters very real. The family is interestingly splintered, just like the world itself. The protagonist's relationship with her family is also a fractured one - uncertain, worldly curious, rebellious, doubtful, adventurous. The resulting elopement is one of emancipation, the sexual adventure not as important as the independence of her remote beach camp far from home. The gently erotic scenes are beautifully done as well and the ending is freshly open ended.

On reflection there is a lot to value and enjoy in this careful, touching novel. Some of the ideas seem only half-finished, but it does leave the readers with space to create and fill in. 4

[Tim O'neill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with others that telling the characters apart is tricky. I think the tale is interesting (the idea of how the Queen is raised especially), but the character style is more for a daily gag strip, not for a multi-generational family tale. I loved The House of the Spirits, but if it was told non-lineärly and I had to know, without timestamps, whether a given character were Clara, Blanca, or Alba, I don’t think I’d like it as much. Maybe it wasn’t possible with the budget, but it’d’ve been perfect if it could’ve been, like, blue line-art in the flashbacks and green in the present.

That all said, I read this over several weeks (mostly not the four months shown, although that is technically correct) a coupla pages at a time, and if I’d read it closer together, it might’ve cohered better. Also, what I said about the characters' look is a storytelling note, not art criticism. Like Hergé/Tintin, the simply-drawn characters and intricate backgrounds work nicely for individual pages.

[Mahika · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars -- okay i completely get why this is as poorly rated as it is but i think it has a lot of merit that is glanced over. i didn't think it was the most perfect thing in the world — i wish the art had been a little larger because most of this was me peering at the pages with the book an inch away from my face and i do wish we got more. just more of this world, more of these character's stories. i can see the benefits of it being short stories and snippets compiled together but i would've loved an Artichoke Tales series.

on the other hand, i have to say the common criticisms of this book didn't bother me as much. yes, for the first two chapters it was a little hard to differentiate between the artichoke people but it soon becomes pretty easy and i got used to it. i also think the scope of this is fascinating and SO RELEVANT. the comment on climate change, war, and just the sweet melancholy of how family can both fuck you up and heal you — it really had me. i hope Megan Kelso didn't let the criticism of this get them down because I would love to read more.

PS: i really hope this isn't marketed as a graphic novel for kids because i cannot overstate how it really really is not. this is very very much meant for adults lol, people really shouldn't be fooled by the cover.

[Raven Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very very odd book. At first, I was enjoying it, a slow paced story that seemed to have a point, but then while I was busy trying to figure out who was who (as the artichoke heads and same tunic clothing made everyone look the same) I am sideswiped. There is a switch in the story and there was no warning. Are we "Then" or "Then-Then" or "Now"? Is this Ramona, Bridget or Dorian? And why with all the sex and women's breasts with REALLY skinny perky nips? And female body hair "there" and okay sure guys hang out equally but not nearly as much. And really did I need to see Grams saggy baggies? (Though in the long run maybe she was my favorite character). What I am trying to say is, this was screwed up, messy and in the end I am not completely sure what the point was. However, except for the hard to tell who is who, the artwork was interesting. Sometimes the romantic nature of the story comes alive, other times it is flat. This is an experience book and yours will differ from mine. In the end I appreciate the opportunity to read and respect the hard work that went into it.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artichoke Tales by Megan Kelso is a graphic novel, charting the stories of three generations of artichoke people, finding themselves and each other against a backdrop of civil war. The individual tales are intensely personal and yet also universal, with the history of conflict explored from two different sides, resulting in arguments over what 'really' happened.

With the stories jumping around in time and the characters all looking quite similar, it's sometimes difficult to identify when and where individual scenes take place and track the characters through their arcs.

But the book has a lot to say about generational expectations, dysfunctional families, and shared history. Moments of depth and profundity, moments of sweetness and sadness. It doesn't necessarily hold together as a cohesive whole very well, but I actually think that's partially the point.

[Sirah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want my 2 hours back. I'm just so mad at this book. It feels like the author is trying to make a point about relationships or war or trust or time passing or something, but it just never quite comes through. Instead I got a clear bit of sex and disease that didn't seem to have any point in the story whatsoever, but will still be loitering about in the back of my brain when I least need them. After all the delighted reviews on the back cover, I really wanted to give this a fair shot, but now I've read it and there's just no way for me to get back those 2 hours I spent reading this. Probably my least favorite book I've read this year.

[Holly Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked the idea of this book, but the execution just wasn’t completely there for me. the style is fun, but all the characters look so similar. the ending was confusing for me (in a sad way, too). it IS impressive to have built up a world/ lore the way this story does, though!!! because this book was about civil war, i think the most profound quote was: “Wars don’t always end in victory or defeat. Sometimes they end when the soldiers decide to go home” (Kelso 198).

[Chloe A-L · Rating 2 out of 5]

the story is really interesting, but as many other reviewers have said, I just couldn't tell who ANYONE was. like, at all. I spent the whole book trying to figure out who was talking which made my comprehension of the story sub-par at best. I wish that the author had had someone else draw the book, or just like... spent some time on character design.

[F Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book. For a sort of short, cute and light graphic novel I think it had surprisingly interesting characters, worldbuilding and themes. For ultimately quite a light read it had some quite critical themes in regards the military, monarchy, nationalism, economic development etc. My main criticism would be that it was very to differentiate the characters. Beyond that I really like the art style though and I think the book had a lot of character.

[K Kriesel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art and premise are lovely. Most of the characters are indistinguishable, as are the flashbacks. I considered going through the book with post-its to differentiate the characters before fully reading it, but I wasn't invested enough for that work

[Bruna Martini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this on many ‘best graphic novels to read before you die’ -type lists. It’s fun and catchy, and I loved the world-building and character iconography, but a few years later I barely remember anything! Ultimately, it’s forgettable.

[Amanda M (On The Middle Shelf) · Rating 2 out of 5]

What was the point?

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelso's simple storytelling (in graphic form) is always enjoyable. This one is a bit long and much to read - for a graphic novel, but it is still enjoyable read.