Comic book series : Mail order bride

The creator of Why Did Pete Duel Kill Himself? returns with an even more powerful graphic novel. Monty, a Canadian comic-and-toy-shop owner and a pathetic 39-year-old virgin, expects his Asian mail-order bride Kyung Soo to fulfil his female Asian fantasy stereotypes: obedient, hardworking and loyal. Tall and accentless, Kyung turns out to be much more complex than Monte is willing to accept. This sharp and affecting look at their prickly relationship is told over 264 elegant, touching pages in this original graphic novel by Disney animator Mark Kalesniko. Kalesniko adroitly juxtaposes Monty's non-sexual, juvenile obsessions with his objectification of his bride, drawing a direct line between loneliness, consumerism, and how the need for order in one's life compromises the approach to matters of the heart.

"This is a sensitive and intelligent look at the contradictory human impulses that lurk behind cultural stereotypes." – Publishers Weekly

"Kalesniko doesn't mince words as he explores issues of race, morality, passion and identity." – The Arizona Republic

"The deceptively simple premise is given real emotional weight by the deft handling of dialogue and the delicately rendered black-and-white penmanship." – Publishers Weekly