Americana

Americana

It's safe to say that I don’t suffer from itchy feet. I understand the appeal of packing a bag and seeing the world; embracing another way of life, revelling in another landscape, being moulded by the roller coaster hardships and highs of travelling, I get it. But it’s not for me. I’ve made small voyages, and Europe is varied enough and close enough to offer all kinds of  multicultural sustenance. But ever since I was young I have felt the pull of a specific country: Australia.

I don’t know how it started… maybe it was the output of the late great Steve Irwin, maybe it was the morphing of my dinosaur obsession into crocodiles and sharks, maybe it was the VHS copy of Napoleon (1995), but I bloody love Australia. As I’ve never actually made the 9.5K mile trip, maybe it's more accurate to say I love the idea of Australia. I certainly consume a lot of Ozzy content. I’ve often wondered how my life would have turned out if I’d followed that pull to the southern hemisphere and gone walkabout. 

For one reason or another, that never happened, but I don’t regret it. Now some day I’ll take my kids to Australia, and see if Bluey has had the same generational effect as Croc Files. I best get saving my pocket money. Luke Healy had a similar pull across the globe, but his wanderlust pulled him west to America.

What am I Reading? 

Americana (And the Act of Getting Over It.). Written and illustrated by Luke Healy, 2019.

What’s it about?

Luke Healy was born 1991, on the day the IRA fired a mortar at the British Prime Minister, this is a coincidence. At this point in time, Ireland was flooded with American pop culture, and this fed his lust to live in the land of the free. But it's never been an easy dream. In his autobiographical graphic novel, he recounts his 147 days walking the Pacific Crest Trail. Starting at the Mexican border, 2660 miles winding through three states, ending at the Canadian border.

What’s good about it?

The thing I value most in comics is the uniqueness of the art. Luke’s art is fantastic in its face value simplicity, yet surprisingly deep. It's a melody of techniques and influences. It’s sublime cartoonism. The colouring being pure red, white and blue is a touch of genius. Textures and depth being achieved in dots and hashes give a timeless feel to the images, yet the characters are absolutely modern in their forms and faces. It simultaneously feels like a newspaper strip and a web toon. 

Like his art, the writing is deceptive as well. His voice is endlessly endearing to me because of his earnest outlook. He talks about this drive to achieve the American dream, or his approximation to it, with an aimless passion which is all too relatable for our generation. He recognises his privilege and questions what this journey is actually for. His monologues are a duet between his love for the country and the evidence of his experience. His observations show the extreme duality of life in America, and how fundamentally rigged the system is. One night he sleeps with a Hollywood writer friend in the heights of Beverly Hills. One night  he sleeps in the ghost of an old west amusement town inhabited by meth addicts. Over the course of his trip you feel the lust for America drain and be replaced with a love for the landscape, but a vague disdain for the culture. It reminds me of what my father said; “The best place in America, wouldn’t have any Americans in it.”. 

My own experience of the U.S.A is limited to New York City, and if I’m honest I feel that once you get past the infrastructural changes, most major cities are the same no matter where you are. 

What did I struggle with?

I feel it's a little rude to be dismissive of an autobiography, especially when it's so harmless and honest. I can’t say that there was anything I didn’t like about this book. It’s a perfect little memoir that captures a once in a lifetime adventure, and the disappointment that might bring. 

I am gutted that I haven’t read any more of Healy’s work. I will definitely seek it out in future.

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely, in fact this may become a stocking filler for a few of my more adventurous friends as a cautionary tale.