DRAGMAN HC BOOKPLATE EDITION

Given his near-40 year career making comics (plus animation, fine art, illustration, etc), it’s remarkable to think that this is Steven Appleby’s first graphic novel. Even more remarkable for it to be a superhero story that is also a gripping thriller, a witty underground comic, and a semi-autobiographical meditation on identity. August Crimp is the superhero Dragman, whose powers are only present while he wears women’s clothes. Drawn out of retirement by a serial killer who is targeting transgender women, Crimp puts his life on the line one more time. What’s amazing about the book is how well it works on every level, with its warm humanity that which resonates most at the end. Appleby is a British comics legend, so it’s no surprise that his first expanded narrative should be so damn good.