Sleepwalking

Imagine a different kind of library, one with shelves lined with books that are still being written. It’s possible to read the latest work of a favorite author as it is completed (or not, in the case of the multiple unfinished volumes by J.D. Salinger). Now suppose that a rare books expert with a damaged conscience, a muddy set of ethics and a criminal history is led to this place. And further suppose that this bibliophile is being pressured by a former criminal accomplice to aid him further. Perker’s new graphic novel from Dark Horse is beautifully drawn, with the added complication that its antihero, rare book expert Peter Kolinsky, suffers from a serious case of insomnia. What is he planning for these priceless volumes? And how did those severed hands end up in his briefcase? This graphic novel wobbles atop the fence separating realism and fantasy, and both genres win.