
The graphic novel "Black Hole" by Charles Burns explores the lives of teenagers in 1970s Seattle who are affected by a sexually transmitted disease that leads to bizarre physical mutations. The story delves into themes of alienation, teen angst, and growing pains, using the disease as a metaphor for these issues. The artwork is described as detailed, creepy, and haunting, effectively capturing the loneliness of adolescence.
"Black Hole" is a dark and unsettling narrative that combines elements of horror, sci-fi, and psychological exploration. The book portrays the struggles of the infected teenagers as they navigate their altered bodies and societal stigmas, reflecting on themes of adolescent loneliness and identity. The graphic novel is praised for its stark black and white illustrations, which evoke a sense of discomfort and beauty simultaneously, enhancing the overall reading experience.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include body horror, sexual content, drug use, and themes of isolation and societal rejection.
Has Romance?
Romantic relationships are intricately woven into the narrative, featuring love triangles and deep connections that complicate the characters' lives.
From The Publisher:
Winner of the Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz Awards
The setting: suburban Seattle, the mid-1970s. We learn from the outset that a strange plague has descended upon the area's teenagers, transmitted by sexual contact. The disease is manifested in any number of ways - from the hideously grotesque to the subtle (and concealable) - but once you've got it, that's it. There's no turning back.
As we inhabit the heads of several key characters - some kids who have it, some who don't, some who are about to get it - what unfolds isn't the expected battle to fight the plague, or bring heightened awareness to it , or even to treat it. What we become witness to instead is a fascinating and eerie portrait of the nature of high school alienation itself - the savagery, the cruelty, the relentless anxiety and ennui, the longing for escape.
And then the murders start.
As hypnotically beautiful as it is horrifying, Black Hole transcends its genre by deftly exploring a specific American cultural moment in flux and the kids who are caught in it- back when it wasn't exactly cool to be a hippie anymore, but Bowie was still just a little too weird.
To say nothing of sprouting horns and molting your skin…
Ratings (8)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (2) | |
Liked It (2) | |
It Was OK (2) |
Reader Stats (18):
Read It (9) | |
Want To Read (4) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (4) |
1 comment(s)
Interesting and unsettling. Kind of overt with the whole teenagers as outcasts, sex as sin, and the purity of a character's soul directly reflected in their deformation. But it is pretty!
About the Author:
CHARLES BURNS grew up in Seattle in the 1970s. His work rose to prominence in Art Spiegelman's RAW magazine in the mid-1980s, and since then he has worked on a wide range of projects including album covers, ad campaigns, and set design. He…
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