One of the key features of the tactile fold-out format of the Colossive Cartographies series is the opportunities it gives to creators to consider alternative interpretations to the idea of sequential art; to take that limited canvas and see it as replete with possibilities rather than be confined by its constraints. This is embodied by Chloe Starling’s contribution to the line in Colossive Cartographies #55, titled ‘Anatomy of a (Well-Funded) Public Library’, which uses panels in ways that are both non-linear and yet sequential at the same time.
Starling’s one-page comic presents a public library in the form of an organism with a human anatomy. Its organs represent its core functions, ethos and mission. Each of them then diverts into their own single panels, depicting their importance to its everyday activities and breaking that down into further subcategories. The brain, for example, is represented by the library staff with their work in collection development, community liaison, support for research and more. The heart is the user community itself, while safe spaces are symbolised by the lungs and so on.
With the draconian attacks on public libraries that we saw under fourteen years of the Conservative government in the UK ‘Anatomy of a (Well-Funded) Public Library’ is a vital reminder of the important role that libraries play within the community on multiple levels. Starling emphasises this in the folds of the zine’s Turkish map fold structure with a further plea to support public libraries. A clever use of the format to convey an important social message and one of the most memorable entries in this series to date.
Chloe Starling (W/A) • Colossive Press, £2.00
Review by Andy Oliver
