"2001 is a vessel that takes itself in as it unfolds in many directions." —Maggie Umber, author of Sound of Snow Falling
"Vast starfields cover [2001], truly giving a "ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space" feel to the actions of its running, leaping, dancing, chatting characters." —Comic Book Resources
As a framing device, space is an interesting theme. Whether it is a panel, a screen, a book, a life, or even the title of a work—what you fill it with and how you use it matters. Blaise Larmee knows this, and his webcomic 2001, which first appeared in 2010 was so impactful in certain circles because of how it disregarded Stanley Kubrick's film of the same name. The titular piece opens with two figures walking through a glimmering landscape. Like Anders Nilsen's best meandering philosophy or Gabrielle Bell's surreal pieces, 2001 is not to be missed.
For this new in-print incarnation of the title, Larmee looks inward at his life. Having spent seven years in production, 2001 is a sprawling effort. Drawings made with lighters, ghostly ink washes, autobiographical pen drawings, google image printouts, photography, and found objects intermingle into an elegantly designed graphic novel.
Blaise Larmee would like to break the fourth wall here: Hi. I'm Blaise Larmee. The altcomics community crowned me Prince of 2010, when I had a Xeric-funded breakout graphic novella (Young Lions), a publishing company (Gaze Books), and an ongoing webcomic (2001).
