Today's feature is a comic book creator who did my favorite single issue of last year.

Cotter, Joshua

To get an idea of how good Skyscrapers of the Midwest is, just go to the website for AdHouse Books.

The front page is devoted solely to the upcoming collection of the mini-series (a collection I pimped heavily here), including a downloadable preview of one story from the collection.

Here is Cotter describing the series himself -

The winding tale of a young cat, his little brother, and the creeping shadow of imminent adolescence in the American heartland.

That's a nice description of the series, but I'll explain it a little more. Skyscrapers is the tale of a young kid in the Midwest during the 1980s, and all the various brutally mundane events that happens to kids while growing up. It is sometimes amusing and it is sometimes painful, but it is always compelling.

Here are a few pages from the first three issues - they're really random, but the comic is all slice-of-life, anyways, so it really doesn't matter where you pick the story up.











See how he captures everyday life, while stressing the awkward parts? It is more evident when you read a full story, but you can still see it in just the above single pages.

Cotter is an accomplished storyteller, and I eagerly await his next project.

In the meantime, check out his website, which also includes a number of comic strips he has done - all in the same biting fashion that makes Skyscrapers so great.