Final Cut
For many of those familiar with author and artist Charles Burns, they most likely remember him from his graphic novel Black Hole, a provocative and haunting work about a sexually-transmitted disease that causes mutations and creates societal outcasts in a fictional 1970’s Seattle. It is a beautifully written and drawn book that also pushes boundaries based on its sexual imagery, particularly the mutations. Fans of Black Hole may realize it’s not just about its depictions of sex, body horror, and violence, but about the plight of the ostracized and the pain of rejection. Readers of Burns’ latest full graphic novel Final Cut might be expecting alien invasions and descents into madness, but it is actually a powerful, haunting story about both the power of art and its limitations.
Burns’ story is told through Brian, a talented artist and cinephile. As children, Brian and his best friend Jimmy made movies that featured lipstick scrawls for blood and monsters made of paper mache. As roommates, Brian and Jimmy still share a love for film even as Brian discovers he prefers withdrawing into his imagination than dealing with people. However, when Laurie is introduced into their friend group, socially awkward Brain turns his focus on her. Brian and Jimmy decide to film another movie on location in the mountains and they bring friends, including Laurie who serves as the lead actress. It is among the natural beauty that Brian explores the boundary between the movies in his mind and the life he is living.
Burns has never been afraid to push boundaries, but that willingness tends to overshadow his talent for writing quiet, understated moments of drama. He constantly demonstrates this gift for understatement, letting a seemingly innocent comment speak volumes. Burns reveals Brian to be socially awkward, preferring the world he creates within his sketch pad to the one where Jimmy and Jimmy’s friends occupy, yet Brian also yearns for connection. Unfortunately, the only time Brian leaves his protective shell is when he talks about movies and others, including the down-to-earth Laurie, can never match his enthusiasm for celluloid. His attempts to connect, particularly his failures, are sure to resonate with readers who have experienced the pain of rejection.
Burns displays his artistic talents in this book with a variety of images. Burns does not shy away from adult situations and provocative images, including nudity, but that nudity is less for shock value and more to show the vulnerability of characters. Burns’ artwork really shines when depicting Brian’s existence of living between the real world and his imagination. Brian’s vision of his movie, including its jellyfish-like alien, blends into the realistic human interactions panel-to-panel, allowing the reader to compare the real world with the world in Brian’s imagination. Burns’ art looks to have a deceptively simple pop art influence, but he’s still able to depict a myriad of human emotions with just some subtle changes to the characters’ faces. Apart from the emotional moments between characters, Burns also gets a chance to show off the natural beauty of his home, the Pacific Northwest, in gorgeous, sprawling detail.
Those librarians looking for graphic novels that demonstrate the power within the graphic novel medium while also pushing against the medium’s boundaries should give a home to Final Cut. It might not have the violence and horror of Black Hole, but Final Cut teems with just as much raw emotion.
Final CutÂ
By Charles Burns
Pantheon Publishing, 2024
ISBN: 9780593701706Â
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
