Palookaville #23

The conclusion of Clyde Fans, the iconic cartoonist’s most famous storyline

The most anticipated issue to date of Seth’s iconic comics digest, Palookaville 23 marks the culmination of twenty years of serialization: here, Clyde Fans comes to a conclusion. In this final chapter, we return to Simon Matchcard and the year 1957―exactly where we left off at the end of the first Clyde Fans volume. After his disastrous attempt at sales in the city of Dominion, we witness the out of body experience and ecstatic “vision” that sets Simon on his path of lonely isolation in the years to come.

But of course that’s not all―an issue of Palookaville always feels a bit like coming home―a comforting structure that promises new surprises and updates on old favorites. The next installment in Seth’s memoir, Nothing Lasts, follows him from late childhood to his high school years, from innocent crushes to adolescent brooding, all told with what has become Seth’s signature anecdotal approach to autobiography.

Readers will also be privy to highlights of Seth’s exquisite fine-art practice―paintings and drawings from two recent gallery exhibitions which transport us back to an era where style was snappier, moldings more orate.

As always, the three-part digest is carefully designed by Seth in a callback to classic 1940s textural book design. From one of Canada’s greatest artists, Palookaville 23 offers closure, while evoking excitement about what’s to come.