Dragman

Great graphic novel this. A superhero like none you've seen before. Thrilling but also packs an emotional punch.

Great graphic novel this. A superhero like none you've seen before. Thrilling but also packs an emotional punch.

Fans of Steven Appleby’s brilliant cartoons know already of their unique energy … All the same, his first long-form graphic novel, Dragman , will surely bring him massed armies of new admirers. Funny, sweet and emotionally true, it doesn’t so much tip toe on to fraught cultural territory as dance wildly across it. In this sense, at least, it has the added virtue of being at once both wildly transgressive and powerfully reassuring… Appleby has torn up all the rules , and not only those that dictate, at this point in the 21st century, that a person’s identity must be clearly labelled, pinned down like some dead butterfly… It’s all marvellous fun .

One of the many pleasures of Steven Appleby’s debut graphic novel Dragman is the way it finds a way to refresh the superhero narrative ; to use it to discuss masculinity and, in particular, transvestism... Appleby is a cartoonist who is both a capable storyteller and has funny bones … A welcome addition to editorial cartooning in the UK.

Both a lively romp and a touching book about coming to terms with yourself, with juicy villains and a funny, likable supporting cast.

Super heroes don't come more super than Steven Appleby's transvestite hero, Dragman . Also known as Dolly Marie, Dragman's struggle against evil Black Mist is apocalyptic, neurotic, tender and very funny – and brilliantly drawn in Appleby's nimble, nubbly line .

Very amiable in a jovial Quentin Blake sort of way. It’s funny…but its complexity tells you that there is a capable story teller behind the scenes spinning all sorts of plates to fashion a narrative that feels timely and also useful … [ Dragman ] is a lot of fun with its heart firmly in the right place .

Steven Appleby is one of Britain's leading cartoonists … But in Dragman …he has created something personal… An entertaining thriller.

A masterclass in shining an absurdist light on themes ranging from greed and self-doubt to the meaning of life.

Both a lively romp and a touching book about coming to terms with yourself.

Steven Appleby is a cartoonist and illustrator living in Britain. A dual citizen of the UK and Canada, Appleby has published over 20 books, had many exhibitions of paintings and collaborated on a musical play, Crocs In Frocks , staged in Camberwell and at the ICA, London in 2006. His work has also appeared on album covers, most notably on Trompe le Monde by the Pixies. His strip Loomus can currently be seen in the Guardian .