USEREVIEW 130 (Capsule): Moon Boots
Lorenz Peter
Moon Boots: The Chronicles of a Country Crooner (Conundrum Press, 2023)
ISBN: 978-1-77262-081-8 | 120 pages | $17.00 CAD | BUY Here
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Lorenz Peter is a writer, illustrator and musician. Moon Boots is his fifth graphic novel and is semi-autobiographical. It depicts the adventures of Lester LaFleur, a free-spirited musician of no fixed address. Lester looks a bit like a country-western Edgar Allan Poe, and he hitchhikes his way across Canada, living rough. It’s all in a day’s work for a modern-day minstrel playing gigs in a string of dive bars.
The lettering is a legible scrawl that matches the raw and loose illustrations. The rough black and white illustrations have a real indie comic book feel to them. They remind me of a less-stylized Seth (of Palookaville fame) or Julie Doucet (of Dirty Plotte fame). Lorenz Peter tightens up his style for a few showcased panels: while Lester LaFleur rides in a semi-truck through unpopulated areas, lovingly rendered landscapes and waterscapes give us a taste of Canada’s wild beauty.
Moon Boots feels like Canadiana done in the style of John Waters. It features glamour through the eyes of people on the fringes. It’s trashy, it’s real and there’s no shortage of Tim Hortons. Recommended for fans of Drawn & Quarterly comics, slice-of-life stories and punk rock living.
Recommended excerpt:
Lester makes a deal with Jimmy, who is having problems with his Tim Horton’s coffee. Lance arrives in a (probably) stolen car, and they drive the lonesome highways past gorgeous natural vistas (p. 63).
