Twice Shy

May 27, 2019
In this lo-fi but memorable graphic novella by Orff (Thunderhead Underground Falls), modest Minneapolis cartoonist Bob meets whirlwind drama-queen Wanda in a bar one night. Their truncated affair—cut short when she hits the road with a guitarist—comes back to haunt him years later when he receives a postcard telling him they have a daughter, Casey, who’s coming to stay with him. Casey, a confused and grumpy preteen, at first doesn’t take to Bob, now a cabbie but still an occasional cartoonist with a knack for getting taken advantage of. But despite his confusion over basic dad duties and Casey’s anxiety, they form a bond. Soon Bob is taking her out with him in his cab and showing her the city, while she warms up to his clumsy decency. The to-the-point dialogue pairs nicely with Orff’s scruffy black-and-white, deeply crosshatched art that alternates between simplicity and a night-shrouded romanticism. The surprise ending is a kicker, and just short of heartbreaking, much like this tough yet sweet father-daughter fable as a whole.