Because stickers

Jun. 25

This post for the Comic as Object Project doesn’t even care about the comic part… this one is just about the object part. We just get to sneak it into the project because the object incidentally happens to be a graphic novel… and apparently quite a well known and well regarded one. And by a Canadian creator. And also incidentally the same creator who was involved in our previous fancy box post.

Not important.

This is why we bought the book…

Close up photo of two round stickers on the front cover of a book, the first that reads “Staff Picks - Kyle - epl.ca” and the second that reads “I was banned… for offensive language. epl.ca"

Saw this book and it’s ‘defaced’ cover at an Edmonton Public Library book sale and immediately grabbed it for these two stickers. With my thanks to Kyle, whomever and wherever you are.

The book beneath is Jeff Lemire’s Essex County, also incidentally now a television series on CBC Gem. But what’s really interesting in this case isn’t the story inside, it’s the adventures this specific and individual copy of the book has been on… but also not.

I don’t think this specific copy was ever banned by the EPL. But this specific copy does have a sticker claiming that honour on behalf of all copies. Meanwhile for the staff pick honours, Kyle chose to recognize both the work and this specific item with his sticker… might have even been Kyle himself to write the name in marker on the front cover.

Also interesting to note that, according to additional stickers on the spine, this book and its offensive language was shelved in “adult graphic novels,” so even if it wasn’t banned in the Edmonton Public Library, it was shelved a bit more carefully.

And then finally, one day, this specific book object was deaccessioned and added to the EPL book sale pile, to go into retirement here in the Butterflies & Aliens Library, with just the occasional virtual seminar to make a guest appearance in.

And perhaps once in a while to be read again because, incidentally, the artwork is great…