Using a dimmed palette of grey, black and pale blue and slowed down to the pace of a hot day, "Clyde Fans" masterfully evokes an apocryphal world of nostalgia. This first of a projected two-volume work begins with a retired circulating-fan salesman named Abraham puttering around his combined house and storefront, now out of business. For seventy pages he delivers a remarkable monologue about his sales technique, family history and so forth, while taking a bath or fixing himself some tea. The second half of the book follows Abraham's younger brother Simon 40 years earlier on an unsuccessful attempt at opening a new sales territory. Drawn in a style reminiscent of 1930s "New Yorker" cartoons and using quiet panels of still objects, landscapes and architecture, Seth plays radically with the form of a genre best known for its non-stop action. Deeply atmospheric, "Clyde Fans" goes low-key for an affect unlike any other in the medium.
Come fly with us, and Leo, through the best (and worst) of 2004. Tops in the cinema this year include Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator. Elsewhere, Deadwood was good TV, and a Strange tale fascinated readers.