“I miss my home, even though I cannot remember it.”

A young man, who does not remember who he is, or how he came to the Shadowed City, is in possession of a journal that reveals that he was on a journey to research lesser-known magical swords, but nothing else of consequence.

He decides to continue writing and drawing in the journal in the hopes that so doing will help him to recall his lost memories.

And thus begins artist Jeffrey Alan Love‘s debut graphic story, a fantastical travelogue that draws the reader in with unique visuals and succinct journal entries that reveal details of the enigmatic Shadowed City and its inhabitants, while adding layer upon layer to the mystery of the unknown young traveler.

I have been excitedly following Jeffrey Alan Love’s career since first discovering his work on the cover of the Simon Ings novel, Wolves, thus I was thrilled when he began sharing his plans for pairing his artistic creations with prose to create his first book.

Notes from the Shadowed City is a lot of fun. I knew that the art would grab my attention, but the fact that Love’s words stirred my imagination in different ways when reading it on its own merit and then when pairing it with its accompanying image, was a surprise that made me very happy for what he was able to accomplish in this first book.

I have been fond of stories told in the form of a journal since reading Dracula for the first time at age eleven. Notes from the Shadowed City reflects exactly what one would expect from an artist storyteller, a “journal” that incorporates both thoughts and sketches.

It works well.

Instead of simply being a straightforward account of this young man’s adventures from the point where we enter the story, we get story elements that are intertwined with ideas, places and people that the young man is compelled to include in his journal. With its mostly black silhouette illustrations with occasional touches of red, Notes from the Shadowed City has a delightfully strange vibe that makes it perfect for its Autumn release.

It is cryptic.

It is mysterious.

But it is also quite fun. Jeffrey Alan Love included some elements of humor that made me chuckle, in particular a nice visual joke that involves a “well-placed arrow”.

Flesk Publications is responsible for bringing us Love’s literary/visual story combination, and the book itself is wonderful. Thick paper-stock and strong boards make the book a pleasure to hold in your hand and the crisp white pages allow Jeffrey Alan Love’s art to boldly stand out. Notes from the Shadowed City comes out in wide release on September 13th, but you can get your copy now, for cover price, along with a signed illustration directly from Flesk Publications.

I thoroughly enjoyed this brief glimpse into the life of this mysterious journaling traveler, and I hope that we have more revelation coming in the future. In the meantime, I look forward to enjoying this one again on a dark, cool Autumn night.

Congratulations Jeffrey Alan Love!