Mark V :: Jordan Crane || Keeping Two, et al

Keeping Two, pgs. 139, 140, 141 (2022)

Artist: Jordan Crane (All)

2 Comments - 152 Views - 2 Likes

Keeping Two, pgs. 139, 140, 141 (2022) Comic Art

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Additional Images:

Page 139

Page 140

Page 141

Keeping Two

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Keeping Two, pg. 112 (2022)

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Artwork Details

Title:	Keeping Two, pgs. 139, 140, 141 (2022)
Artist:	Jordan Crane (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	152
Likes on CAF:	2 3
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	1/29/2023
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Content warning: cartoon depictions of self-harm..

This three-page sequence from Jordan Crane�s late 2022 masterwork Keeping Two (Fantagraphics) showcases one of the formal conceits of the book: overlapping moments within overlapping narratives.

The sequence depicts a woman who has recently suffered a miscarriage engaging in various forms of suicidal ideation as her husband attempts to engage her in banal conversation.

These characters, however, are also fictional characters in a novel being read by the main character of the story, who isn�t able to locate his wife after she runs out for a quick errand. The novel he is reading while he waits for his wife to return amplifies his anxiety and he begins to imagine his wife perishing under increasingly dire circumstances. Readers, too, will also read this book in the context of their own relationships with their loved ones and the everyday worries that can fire the imagination.

The confident, minimalist line Crane uses in Keeping Two is ideally suited for a story like this, which flattens the distinction between catastrophic and ordinary moments. Few artists could so sensitively depict both types of moments in a story.

A quick final word about Jordan Crane, one of the most influential yet unheralded cartoonists of the last 25 years. His relatively slow pace of production plays against him in this regard. I�m happy that he�s finally finished his book. Based on what he brings to the table as a storyteller and artist in Keeping Two, I hope it won�t be another 20 years before he produces another one.

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About the Owner

	Mark V Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	March 2021
Last Login:	September 2025
Website:	https://instagram.com/markvcomicsandart
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008

1 - Posted on 1/29/2023

Not gonna lie, I find this oddly disturbing. But, as you explain in your description, I think this is something that needs context and therefore reading the story as opposed to just this single page on its own. I'm gonna pop in on YouTube after the game, special West Coast Edition! Stop by if you're free, maybe we can talk a bit about this book, L & R, or whatever you or anyone else wants to chat about.

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 1/30/2023

Important message in context. I think it's a difficult subject to broach in comic form, but it's important that Crane does it. Maybe he has personal first hand experience and this is how he can fully express and work through his feelings on the issue.

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