Tales of the little guy

At a time when America is grappling with its identity, there's something very penetrating about Tim Lane's Abandoned Cars - a collection of noir-ish narratives which explore the underbelly of the American Dream. Populated with characters who exist on society's margins, Lane's tales are pulpy (and oddly romantic) creations about hope and redemption - best exemplified in 'The Drive Home', the affecting story of a man adrift, striving to regain the family he has lost. Lane's gorgeous black-and-white artwork - naturalistic with occasional leaps into the surreal - consistently lends tension as well as a quiet beauty to these various tales of struggle.

Danny Graydon