g n i w a Dr T e f i r t S m o Fr
he Inkpot Award sitting on Jason Lutes’ mantel is kind of adorable: The anthropomorphized inkpot-person strikes an attitude, right hand on hip, left holding a stafflike quill pen à la Gandalf. Given annually by Comic-Con International to major contributors “to the worlds of comics, science fiction/fantasy” and related fields, the trophy is surprisingly petite, maybe a foot or so high. But the award — which Lutes received at the San Diego Comic-Con in July — has outsize significance just now. The 50-year-old cartoonist, who lives in Hartland and teaches at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, has recently finished a masterwork in the comics medium — or, as he calls it, visual storytelling. And what a story it is. The final book in Lutes’ Berlin trilogy is about to be released in softcover by publisher Drawn & Quarterly, simultaneously with a 580-page hardcover tome that comprises all three volumes. Collectively, it’s an astonishing accomplishment that represents a grand vision and more than 20 years’ work. Aside from the sheer quantity of drawing and writing that went into the books, Berlin’s visual inventiveness, sharp observation and emotional impact have elicited gushing praise from early reviewers. And, given its subject matter — the dissolution of Germany’s Weimar Republic and the rise of fascism — the graphic novel reads as eerily prescient in the current political climate. While Lutes’ Inkpot coincides with this milestone, it’s notable for another reason: It’s his first professional award. When he received it last month, the cartoonist relates with characteristic modesty, “It was a complete surprise, and I was utterly delighted.” What’s more astounding is that previous award nominations failed to produce a win, because Berlin is by no means Lutes’ only accomplishment. His
For cartoonist Jason Lutes, the massive Weimar epic Berlin marks a career milestone
SARAH PRIESTAP
30 FEATURE
SEVEN DAYS
08.22.18-08.29.18
SEVENDAYSVT.COM
BY PAMEL A PO LSTON