The Excavation

Based on the author’s dreams, this German Expressionist-influenced graphic novel is about a couple who go to an underground site to visit his family, and surreal events ensue. Drawn in a slashing pen-and-ink style with raw crosshatching and heavy blacks, the author’s visual approach adds to the intense, claustrophobic feel of the graphic novel, while its surreal verisimilitude recalls cult films like Eraserhead and The Forbidden Zone.