Randy and Don step into Al Davison's Spiral Cage, an autobiographical graphic novel Active Images/Comicraft.
Randy:
Last week, Don and I looked at Strange Embrace, one of two initial offerings from Comicraft/Active Images. This week, we look at The Spiral Cage, the other initial offering, and it couldn't be more different than Strange Embrace, which speaks well for the diversity of the Active Images Gold line of graphic novels.
Don:
The Spiral Cage and Strange Embrace are radically different projects, but both are intense and meticulously crafted. There's a darkness to be found in The Spiral Cage as well, but there's a balance of hope and innocence to be found as well, unlike Embrace.
The Spiral Cage
written and illustrated by Al Davisonpublished by Active Images/Astral Gypsy Press
Don:
Alan was born in 1960 with spina bifida. The doctors told his parents he wouldn't live, shouldn't live. They said he'd be paralyzed from the waist down. They said he'd never walk. Growing up, other children told him he'd never belong, never contribute, never love. Alan proved them all wrong, and then he wrote and drew a comic book about it.
Randy:
While Strange Embrace was the kind of thing I'd expect to see from DC's Vertigo imprint, The Spiral Cage is more reminiscent of the kind of work you find in self-published or smaller press projects. It's not so much a linear story as it is a collection of memories and experiences that give you the sense of who Al Davison is, and what challenges and joys he has found in his life. The trick in doing an autobiographical comic, of course, is in having an interesting life and conveying that to the reader, and on that score, Davison definitely succeeds.
Don:
I have a younger brother with cerebral palsy. The brain cells responsible for his motor control didn't quite all make it through the birthing process. He can't turn his hand over. He can walk with canes, but only for short distances, so he has an electric wheelchair that he uses to get around. He needs someone to help him get in and out of the chair, bathe and dress. The education system didn't want him in a regular school. He started law school at 18, and now, after earning a master's degree from Cambridge University, he teaches law. His students are the same age as he is. He loves sports, so instead of playing, he's volunteered as a scorekeeper, statistician and manager. Some people might have written him off. He and my parents had other things in mind.
So, Al Davison's personal story sings to me. It's about not only the possibility of the impossible, but the probability of the impossible. It's about good days and bad days. It's about the power of imagination as a child, and the power of ambition as an adult. Readers aren't just going to see disabled friends or loved ones in Davison, but themselves as well. I know I did.
Randy:
The Spiral Cage is more than just a musing on spina bifida, the disease that Davison was born with, and given what we learn about him through the story, that's no surprise. His spina bifida is just one aspect of his life, and in addition to touching on what it felt like to be different and how a child, teen and adult viewed this difference, his story is threaded with many other aspects of life. Davison's interest in Buddhism and martial arts, for example, plays out throughout the book as an important factor in who he is, and he spends a relatively small but definitely important amount on Maggie, the love of his life. I found myself drawn into these stories, curious to see what came next (or before, since Davison jumps around in time quite a bit.)
Don:
My favorite character in the book is Davison as a child. It's incredibly easy for any longtime comics fan to relate to his wide-eyed wonder and limitless imagination and energy. I love how young Alan triumphs in part because he just doesn't appreciate that he's different from other kids. He knows he will walk because that's what people do, and he knows his turn is coming... and that he has to work for it. It's touching to see the soul before it's beaten down by name-calling, small minds and teenage violence that, inexplicably, is still acceptable.
Randy:
The structure of The Spiral Cage is unusual, challenging and at times, honestly, frustrating. Rather than a graphic novel with one throughline or central story, this reads like a collection of comic strips and short tales. Davison changes his writing and art style freely throughout the book, sometimes doing a realistic style that looks like it comes right out of an artist's anatomy class, sometimes drawing as a child would and sometimes using collage techniques and symbolism in a style reminiscent of painter David Mack. Combined with the hand-lettering, which also changes styles frequently, I found some segments of the book practically impossible to read. It sort of comes off as experimental, because in some cases the unusual storytelling styles are necessary to really convey the full sensory impact of the story, and in those cases it really works, but in some cases it gets so obtuse that I just couldn't follow it anymore.
Don:
Davison has gathered these bits and pieces and grouped them thematically, forming chapters. I rather enjoyed the small nuggets of storytelling, and it was always a pleasure to revisit young Al. Davison employs a diverse array of styles here. Sometimes his work reminded of Renee (Marbles in my Underpants) French's, at others, that of Richard (Cage, Banner) Corben and sometimes Michael (Sandman: The Wake) Zulli. Sometimes, his panels and lettering are too crowded and difficult to make out as a result, but for the most part, the storytelling is clear and engaging.
Active Images is quickly demonstrating itself as a new publisher wit an eye for top quality and unconventional storytelling, and I'll be paying more attention to future offerings from Richard Starkings's new volumes.
For more information on The Spiral Cage and Active Images, visit
