Before she wrote twisted, grotesque Southern Gothic tales, Flannery O’Connor considered becoming a cartoonist for a living. And back when she was a student, she had comics published in her high school and college papers. These comics are set to be released in a book by Fantagraphics this December, Flannery O’Connor: The Cartoons, but we have a preview of them here. And while not as demented as some of her writing, the dark humor is still there, even in the short span of a single panel.
Top caption: “Do you have any books the faculty doesn’t particularly recommend?”
The following captions and images come courtesy of the International Team of Comics Historians, or I.T.C.H. They also have a more in-depth look at O’Connor’s life as a student.
“Do you think teachers are necessary?”
“Isn’t it fortunate that Genevieve has completely escaped that boy crazy stage?”
“It breaks my heart to leave for a whole summer.”
Several of her comics were about the WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, another name for the Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Navy that only allowed women to serve under the exceptional circumstance that was World War II. After the war was over, it was implied that women — even the WAVES — would no longer be allowed to serve.
“I think it’s perfectly idiotic of the Navy not to let you WAVES dress sensibly like us college girls.”
You can pre-order Flannery O’Connor: The Cartoons at Amazon.com.
Published: Jul 10, 2011 02:29 pm