The Devil's Grin Vol 1 by Alex Graham. $30. 464 pages, published by Fantagraphics.

Alex Graham is on a different level than most of her peers. Writing in comics is such a rare talent, but Graham has real stories to tell in comics form, stories that have more feeling and thought in 3 panels than most can string along for hundreds of pages. This new work of Graham's is nothing short of incredible. When I read her first book, Angloid, I thought it was incredible but was unsure how Graham would continue, the comic was so unique as to potentially be a one time phenomenon. Dog Biscuits of course proved that Graham is a true storytelling genius. This work is, I think, her best, an impossible to define work of art in comics form that reads so clearly and yet cannot be reduced to simplicity. Real characters, real feelings...this book is not pretending. The Devil's Grin is, without hesitation, a masterpiece.