Stripboek series : Michiel van de Pol

Frank is a passionate aircraft spotter and builder of model airplanes. Everything in his world is clear and manageable. Until he meets Julia, a young novelist working on her debut novel about a man who wants to turn his amputated leg into a table lamp. Julia and Frank are complete opposites, but they fall in love and soon after, Julia discovers she’s pregnant.

While Frank tries to calm his anxiety over his impending fatherhood, by gathering as much information about it as he can from the Internet, Julia learns she is terminally ill. She keeps her illness from Frank, afraid that he will break down when he finds out. She finds comfort in her novel, which becomes more and more autobiographical. While Julia’s sense of reality is beginning to waver and she slowly descends into madness, Frank has to confront his inner control freak and accept his role as a parent.

In Spotters, Michiel van de Pol broaches big subjects such as illness, death and self-determination, while maintaining a light touch. Frank’s and Julia’s thoughts colour their worldviews – literally. Frank’s thoughts are depicted in blue, Julia’s in pink, alongside the ‘neutral’ yellow reality. In his particular, at times bizarre style, Van de Pol has created a graphic novel full of life, humour and compassion.