“You totally loved this.” That’s what we’re told on the last page of this 2005 comic, and I’ll be damned if it’s not the truth. Julia Durgee provides a glimpse into what I can only assume is her life as an illustrator in the NYC fashion business, but instead of yet another slow autobiographical moan as we too often see, she busies herself with describing her surroundings and the people about her with rare insight. It’s nice work: in five short stories she gives a good account of the New York that she inhabits. In fact, the longest story in the comic is a tour of the garment district itself, complete with celebrity cameos.

However, nice as the stories are, they’re pretty much overshadowed by Durgee’s beautiful art, which mixes McKay-ish linework in with elegant layouts and a truly wonderful sense of colour. The one page story about t-shirt design is one of the nicest things I’ve seen all year. It’s a lovely comic, even just to hold.

If I have any reservations, which of course I do, it’s that there just isn’t enough here on show. Between the covers there are only 12 pages to pore over, and though there’s a lot in each of these pages, I’d really like to see the artist get her teeth into something with a bit more substance.

I’ve no idea how much this one costs, but go on over to www.juliadurgee.com and take a look at the beautiful art on display. You might even be able to figure out the navigation and be able to buy a copy!