She segues from the humorous and silly to the upsetting and emotionally raw with considerable aplomb.Īll of which brings me to her latest release, Why Art?. This concept is, at first glance, patently absurd, but - and this is one of the great things about her work - Davis is able to use this seemingly ridiculous scenario to say something about sharp and profound about human nature. They are successful, but leave the seminar unable to contain their grief, falling apart in their cars and the local supermarket. In “No Tears, No Sorrow,” a group of people attends a self-help seminar in order to learn how to cry. But then a friend mentions how wonderful it is to be gluten-free and the cycle begins anew. In one untitled short story (found in the collection How to Be Happy), a woman turns from fad to fad in an attempt to stave off despair, with no luck. Each successive volume exhibits the same high level of craft and care (she has also proved to be remarkably adept in a variety of different mediums - her style has altered considerably since her early years).Ī lot of Davis’s comics deal with characters attempting to cope with depression, anxiety, or just the overpowering effort of trying to get by in this modern world. Since then, she’s produced a number of excellent books in a variety of genres, from children’s books ( The Secret Science Alliance, Stinky) to slice-of-life tales ( Libby’s Dad), memoirs (the stellar You and a Bike and a Road, which made my best of 2017 list), erotica ( Frontier #11) and more. Working with her frequent collaborator and spouse, Drew Weing, she released a number of short comics that experimented with format and presentation while adopting or riffing on a fable - or folktale - like structure. I first became aware of Davis’s work with the various mini-comics she self-published between roughly 20. At the risk of sounding like some back-cover, hyperbole-ridden hack, the intelligence, emotion, and pure, awe-inducing skill she continually exhibits in her comics make her one of the most significant creators to come out of the indie comics scene in the past 15 years. But if they did, that would be my answer all the same.

When people ask me “Who is one of the best cartoonists working today?”, I always answer “ Eleanor Davis.”

Eleanor davis how to be happy