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Deep Breaths
The award-winning Chris Gooch ( Bottled ) is a rising star of the vibrant Australian comics scene. This eerie and evocative collection reveals the astonishing spectrum of his storytelling powers.
A space bounty hunter tracks down a frog princess, a woman finds a condom where it shouldn't be, and a spoiled art student works his first freelance job. Deep Breaths is a collection of short comics about tension, violence, monsters, and moments... including the award-winning story "Mooreland Mates" and nine other tales, rarely or never before seen.
A space bounty hunter tracks down a frog princess, a woman finds a condom where it shouldn't be, and a spoiled art student works his first freelance job. Deep Breaths is a collection of short comics about tension, violence, monsters, and moments... including the award-winning story "Mooreland Mates" and nine other tales, rarely or never before seen.
215 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2019
8 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Chris Gooch
23 books45 followersChris Gooch (b. 1993) is a cartoonist based out of Melbourne, Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 12, 2020
A collection of haunting tales about "normal" people and their sometimes not so normal lives. I especially enjoyed Emma, narrated by a commuter train, and Curse You, Skullface!, which follows the titular hero in his mission to save the kidnapped princess for Queen Glob. I like that Gooch shares what type of media and pencil/pen he used for each story. Recommended for those who like commuter trains, used condoms, and hand-held drills.
January 12, 2025
A collection of ten early stories by rising star Chris Gooch. It's not nearly as good as his most recent work, In Utero, but it's always interesting to see talent developing.
"Buddy" - 2 stars
A simple monster tale gets a bit muddled by the art and coloring on the final page.
"Wednesdays" - 2 stars
Some pathetic husbands sneak out for a stupid boys' night out.
"One to Make Him Grow" - 3 stars
A child's birthday party goes oddly awry thanks to a little bit of trepanation. Darn those third eyes.
"Karaoke" - 2 stars
Some bland flirting happens at karaoke.
"The Effervescent Pill" - 2 stars
A commission for a book cover puts an artist in a position where he worries about compromising his artistic principles and being able to pay the rent.
"Mother" - 2 stars
A housewife finds a used condom while cleaning and frets about the only two people who could have left it there: her husband or her teenage daughter. Her asshole therapist isn't any help.
"Mooreland Mates" - 2 stars
A weird self-help program for men is just an excuse for another boys' night out story.
"Emma" - 3 stars
A oddly compelling tale narrated by a train that witnesses a mugging in one of its cars.
"Curse You, Skullface!" - 2 stars
A really bad sci-fi story about a mercenary rescuing an alien princess.
"Braces" - 3 stars
A brief but chilling vignette that unfolds in an orthodontist's office.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Buddy -- Wednesdays -- One to Make Him Grow -- Karaoke -- The Effervescent Pill -- Mother -- Mooreland Mates -- Emma -- Curse You, Skullface! -- Braces
Publlishing history:
• Buddy - Originally published in Voiceworks #105 (Express Media) in 2016.
• Wednesdays - Originally published in 8x3 (Radio as Paper) in 2015.
• One to Make Him Grow - Originally published in 51% #1 and #2 (Optic Pop) in 2013 and 2014.
• Karaoke - Originally published in Castles in the Sky #2 (No Brainz Comics) in 2017.
• The Effervescent Pill - Originally self-published in 2017.
• Mother - Originally published in Very Quiet, Very Still (Optic Pop) in 2014.
• Mooreland Mates - Originally published in Voiceworks #108 (Express Media) in 2017.
• Emma - Originally published in 51% #2 (Optic Pop) in 2014.
• Curse You, Skullface! - Originally published by Room Press in 2015.
• Braces - Originally published in Starting (LICAF) in 2017.
At least three of these stories ("One to Make Him Grow," "Mother," and "Emma") also appeared in Chris Gooch's previous short story collection, Very Quiet, Very Still.
"Buddy" - 2 stars
A simple monster tale gets a bit muddled by the art and coloring on the final page.
"Wednesdays" - 2 stars
Some pathetic husbands sneak out for a stupid boys' night out.
"One to Make Him Grow" - 3 stars
A child's birthday party goes oddly awry thanks to a little bit of trepanation. Darn those third eyes.
"Karaoke" - 2 stars
Some bland flirting happens at karaoke.
"The Effervescent Pill" - 2 stars
A commission for a book cover puts an artist in a position where he worries about compromising his artistic principles and being able to pay the rent.
"Mother" - 2 stars
A housewife finds a used condom while cleaning and frets about the only two people who could have left it there: her husband or her teenage daughter. Her asshole therapist isn't any help.
"Mooreland Mates" - 2 stars
A weird self-help program for men is just an excuse for another boys' night out story.
"Emma" - 3 stars
A oddly compelling tale narrated by a train that witnesses a mugging in one of its cars.
"Curse You, Skullface!" - 2 stars
A really bad sci-fi story about a mercenary rescuing an alien princess.
"Braces" - 3 stars
A brief but chilling vignette that unfolds in an orthodontist's office.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Buddy -- Wednesdays -- One to Make Him Grow -- Karaoke -- The Effervescent Pill -- Mother -- Mooreland Mates -- Emma -- Curse You, Skullface! -- Braces
Publlishing history:
• Buddy - Originally published in Voiceworks #105 (Express Media) in 2016.
• Wednesdays - Originally published in 8x3 (Radio as Paper) in 2015.
• One to Make Him Grow - Originally published in 51% #1 and #2 (Optic Pop) in 2013 and 2014.
• Karaoke - Originally published in Castles in the Sky #2 (No Brainz Comics) in 2017.
• The Effervescent Pill - Originally self-published in 2017.
• Mother - Originally published in Very Quiet, Very Still (Optic Pop) in 2014.
• Mooreland Mates - Originally published in Voiceworks #108 (Express Media) in 2017.
• Emma - Originally published in 51% #2 (Optic Pop) in 2014.
• Curse You, Skullface! - Originally published by Room Press in 2015.
• Braces - Originally published in Starting (LICAF) in 2017.
At least three of these stories ("One to Make Him Grow," "Mother," and "Emma") also appeared in Chris Gooch's previous short story collection, Very Quiet, Very Still.
January 6, 2021
An excellent collection of short stories by the author of Bottled. Some are earnest and thoughtful, others casually or even merrily provocative. This was hard to put down.
At this point I'll read just about anything with Chris Gooch's name on it, but he needs to work on drawing hands. In at least two stories I thought he was cluing the reader in that a character was secretly a monster or alien. He wasn't.
--------------------------
Buddy
A schoolboy who is distrusted by his classmates lures his safety buddy into the woods, turns into a monster, and eats him. The next day the teacher gives him a new safety buddy.
This was absolutely delightful, from the way Alexander sprouts eyes and anglerfish teeth to the teacher's understandable misreading of her students' unease as childish cruelty. Short and sweet. Five stars.
--------------------------
Wednesdays
Three men break into the high school swimming pool on a weekly basis to drink and talk and revel in their rulebreaking.
They each approach their Wednesday night shenanigans from a different place, and each gets something different out of it. Gooch accomplishes an awful lot of character building in a few pages.
Five stars.
--------------------------
One to Make Him Grow
A little boy gets a power drill for his birthday, and uses it ingeniously and horrifyingly at his party that night.
Gooch schools us in how to start a full-bore cult using only a little charisma and a bit of resourcefulness. Five stars.
--------------------------
Karaoke
Excerpts of a group of friends at a karaoke night.
Not much happens, but this slice-of-life story still pleases. Four stars.
--------------------------
The Effervescent Pill
A young artist is hired to paint the cover to a hot new novel, which he unfortunately loathes. His paintings reflect his distaste, to the displeasure of the publisher. Repeated rejection and the need to pay rent grind him down until he gives them something more commercial than honest.
This made me wonder about Gooch's road to getting published. Five stars.
--------------------------
Mother
Mom finds a used condom under the couch. She tapdances around the question with her 15yo daughter but decides it's not hers. She flatly asks her husband if it's his but believes his exhausted denial. Her shrink is exasperated with her for not pressing the issue harder, but she's content with the mystery.
Interesting character study. It really doesn't matter where the condom came from. Her journey is the story. Five stars.
--------------------------
Mooreland Mates
One night in a men's support group.
Another slice-of-life like Karaoke but this one felt empty to me. Two stars.
--------------------------
Emma
Told entirely from the point of view of a commuter train. Emma is its favorite passenger.
Fascinating and original and kind of heartbreaking. Five stars.
--------------------------
Curse You, Skullface!
An action hero with the face of a skull is tasked with rescuing an alien princess from another group of aliens who intend to sacrifice her Aztec style to some alien god.
Generic. Lacks the heart of most of these stories. Two stars.
--------------------------
Braces
An orthodontist finds herself working on the bully who beat up her son the night before.
Most of the conversation is left to the reader's imagination. A good choice on the part of the author. Four stars.
At this point I'll read just about anything with Chris Gooch's name on it, but he needs to work on drawing hands. In at least two stories I thought he was cluing the reader in that a character was secretly a monster or alien. He wasn't.
--------------------------
Buddy
A schoolboy who is distrusted by his classmates lures his safety buddy into the woods, turns into a monster, and eats him. The next day the teacher gives him a new safety buddy.
This was absolutely delightful, from the way Alexander sprouts eyes and anglerfish teeth to the teacher's understandable misreading of her students' unease as childish cruelty. Short and sweet. Five stars.
--------------------------
Wednesdays
Three men break into the high school swimming pool on a weekly basis to drink and talk and revel in their rulebreaking.
They each approach their Wednesday night shenanigans from a different place, and each gets something different out of it. Gooch accomplishes an awful lot of character building in a few pages.
Five stars.
--------------------------
One to Make Him Grow
A little boy gets a power drill for his birthday, and uses it ingeniously and horrifyingly at his party that night.
Gooch schools us in how to start a full-bore cult using only a little charisma and a bit of resourcefulness. Five stars.
--------------------------
Karaoke
Excerpts of a group of friends at a karaoke night.
Not much happens, but this slice-of-life story still pleases. Four stars.
--------------------------
The Effervescent Pill
A young artist is hired to paint the cover to a hot new novel, which he unfortunately loathes. His paintings reflect his distaste, to the displeasure of the publisher. Repeated rejection and the need to pay rent grind him down until he gives them something more commercial than honest.
This made me wonder about Gooch's road to getting published. Five stars.
--------------------------
Mother
Mom finds a used condom under the couch. She tapdances around the question with her 15yo daughter but decides it's not hers. She flatly asks her husband if it's his but believes his exhausted denial. Her shrink is exasperated with her for not pressing the issue harder, but she's content with the mystery.
Interesting character study. It really doesn't matter where the condom came from. Her journey is the story. Five stars.
--------------------------
Mooreland Mates
One night in a men's support group.
Another slice-of-life like Karaoke but this one felt empty to me. Two stars.
--------------------------
Emma
Told entirely from the point of view of a commuter train. Emma is its favorite passenger.
Fascinating and original and kind of heartbreaking. Five stars.
--------------------------
Curse You, Skullface!
An action hero with the face of a skull is tasked with rescuing an alien princess from another group of aliens who intend to sacrifice her Aztec style to some alien god.
Generic. Lacks the heart of most of these stories. Two stars.
--------------------------
Braces
An orthodontist finds herself working on the bully who beat up her son the night before.
Most of the conversation is left to the reader's imagination. A good choice on the part of the author. Four stars.
October 19, 2019
SO GOOD. So dark. Each story a black pearl.
August 2, 2025
I haven’t delved too much into indie comics in a very long time so this was a breath of fresh air after a period of nothing but superhero stories lately. The contents themselves I’ll get into in a minute, but overall this was a good collection of shorter pieces that range from surreal to thoughtful to strange to fun little romps. Overall I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to those looking for something a little different.
The art is not anything to write home about, but that is also some of the charm here. It’s simplistic and yet stylized in just the right way to work with the wonderful pacing of the stories collected here. It’s almost inspiring in a way to see such art and know that it is worth being published when I’m so used to seeing overly detailed and refined art in comics.
Now, for the stories themselves…
Buddy is a short and surreal bit of horror that opens the book well, even if it’s not overly memorable. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming though.
Wednesdays really made me think about the social lives of middle aged men. What do they do outside of the family? How do they express their desires to be individuals when other responsibilities weigh down on them? It’s just a charming piece that made me smile a bit, even if it was a bid depressing as well.
One To Make Him Grow is a dark and disturbing piece and says a fair bit about the children in a divorce. Again, the ending caught me off guard, but it works well.
Karaoke is probably the weakest story here, but it’s so short that I can let it go. It’s really just a look at a moment in time, and that’s just fine, I guess. There’s just not much to it.
The Effervescent Pill feels like a direct attack on the publishing industry and I kinda love it for that. The way the main character really tries to understand the book he’s been commissioned to make a cover for speaks to a project I remember from my own art school days and reminds me that making a cover for a book you honestly don’t like can be done, but it sure ain’t easy.
Mother left me wondering at the end because it goes unresolved, but maybe that’s the point. It does look at the dangers of having a bad analyst, maybe? That or it just acts as a cautionary tale to make sure we aren’t looking too hard for something to be wrong in our lives.
Mooreland Mates is apparently the most well known piece here and I can see why. This might be a good companion piece to Wednesdays as it again deals with older men and how they handle life. This feels like a message to these older men to not be afraid to seek out companionship and help when they need it rather than bottling up alone. I certainly got something out of it.
Emma was a sweet story about a train and a woman. I can’t say much more than that because spoilers, but it was almost cute and definitely creative in a way I don’t often see these days.
Curse You, Skullface! is a science fiction piece that I was a bit meh on. There’s not a ton to say other than it feels like an homage to sci-fi tales of the 60’s which are not generally my thing. There are some creative things done with the art given how simple it is though.
Braces might be one of the most clever stories here. It starts off so simple but there’s a great twist that turns it into a a great moral piece, and one to maybe spook some people away from dentists more than they already are spooked.
And yeah, that’s it. Overall this is just a really cool collection of short comics. I’m really curious to read more from Chris Gooch in the future.
The art is not anything to write home about, but that is also some of the charm here. It’s simplistic and yet stylized in just the right way to work with the wonderful pacing of the stories collected here. It’s almost inspiring in a way to see such art and know that it is worth being published when I’m so used to seeing overly detailed and refined art in comics.
Now, for the stories themselves…
Buddy is a short and surreal bit of horror that opens the book well, even if it’s not overly memorable. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming though.
Wednesdays really made me think about the social lives of middle aged men. What do they do outside of the family? How do they express their desires to be individuals when other responsibilities weigh down on them? It’s just a charming piece that made me smile a bit, even if it was a bid depressing as well.
One To Make Him Grow is a dark and disturbing piece and says a fair bit about the children in a divorce. Again, the ending caught me off guard, but it works well.
Karaoke is probably the weakest story here, but it’s so short that I can let it go. It’s really just a look at a moment in time, and that’s just fine, I guess. There’s just not much to it.
The Effervescent Pill feels like a direct attack on the publishing industry and I kinda love it for that. The way the main character really tries to understand the book he’s been commissioned to make a cover for speaks to a project I remember from my own art school days and reminds me that making a cover for a book you honestly don’t like can be done, but it sure ain’t easy.
Mother left me wondering at the end because it goes unresolved, but maybe that’s the point. It does look at the dangers of having a bad analyst, maybe? That or it just acts as a cautionary tale to make sure we aren’t looking too hard for something to be wrong in our lives.
Mooreland Mates is apparently the most well known piece here and I can see why. This might be a good companion piece to Wednesdays as it again deals with older men and how they handle life. This feels like a message to these older men to not be afraid to seek out companionship and help when they need it rather than bottling up alone. I certainly got something out of it.
Emma was a sweet story about a train and a woman. I can’t say much more than that because spoilers, but it was almost cute and definitely creative in a way I don’t often see these days.
Curse You, Skullface! is a science fiction piece that I was a bit meh on. There’s not a ton to say other than it feels like an homage to sci-fi tales of the 60’s which are not generally my thing. There are some creative things done with the art given how simple it is though.
Braces might be one of the most clever stories here. It starts off so simple but there’s a great twist that turns it into a a great moral piece, and one to maybe spook some people away from dentists more than they already are spooked.
And yeah, that’s it. Overall this is just a really cool collection of short comics. I’m really curious to read more from Chris Gooch in the future.
June 17, 2021
Deep Breaths is a mixed bag. There are many things I admire about Chris Gooch's storytelling...but I can't see myself wanting to re-read this book. The only reasons I can come up with for keeping it on my shelf are "because it's somewhat expensive" and "because the author is critically acclaimed."
I enjoy Gooch's artistic style. All of his comics are drawn by hand and there's something really satisfying about seeing the textures made with the stroke of a pen or pencil. His work is coloured digitally, almost always monochromatically or with a limited palette. The flat, minimalist colours work well with the more "busy" quality of his drawing. I also liked his sense of paneling and how the dialogue isn't too heavy. It gives an atmospheric quality to his stories. The human characters aren't really my cup of tea (imagine something between Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill) but the non-human images are often striking...like the close-up of can of beer floating in a swimming pool, or a bunch of balloons with strange eyes drawn on them.
The narratives left me ambivalent. The abrupt dénouements, dark undertones, occasional fantastic events, and a uneasy mood are things that I would normally enjoy in a story. But many of the stories seemed too uneventful ("Wednesdays," "Karaoke," "The Effervescent Pill," "Mother," "Mooreland Mates") or outlandish ("Curse You, Skullface!" which is basically a zombie/alien/damsel in distress mashup). So that leaves only three stories that I only kind of enjoyed. Gooch has some good, original ideas and is definitely a talented artist, but unfortunately the stories told in this collection are mediocre.
I enjoy Gooch's artistic style. All of his comics are drawn by hand and there's something really satisfying about seeing the textures made with the stroke of a pen or pencil. His work is coloured digitally, almost always monochromatically or with a limited palette. The flat, minimalist colours work well with the more "busy" quality of his drawing. I also liked his sense of paneling and how the dialogue isn't too heavy. It gives an atmospheric quality to his stories. The human characters aren't really my cup of tea (imagine something between Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill) but the non-human images are often striking...like the close-up of can of beer floating in a swimming pool, or a bunch of balloons with strange eyes drawn on them.
The narratives left me ambivalent. The abrupt dénouements, dark undertones, occasional fantastic events, and a uneasy mood are things that I would normally enjoy in a story. But many of the stories seemed too uneventful ("Wednesdays," "Karaoke," "The Effervescent Pill," "Mother," "Mooreland Mates") or outlandish ("Curse You, Skullface!" which is basically a zombie/alien/damsel in distress mashup). So that leaves only three stories that I only kind of enjoyed. Gooch has some good, original ideas and is definitely a talented artist, but unfortunately the stories told in this collection are mediocre.
January 2, 2021
My second book by Chris Gooch.
Deep Breaths is a short story collection made up of the zine comics that Gooch had been creating for years prior to publication. The stories run the gamut from fantastical sci-fi to the darkest of horror. While the fantastical stories were interesting - the space princess fiasco in particular was an enjoyable, if bizarre read - Gooch truly shines when it comes to the mundane. The interpersonal relationships that ebb and flow and are pushed to their limits by the discovery of something so simple.
What I mean to say is - this entire book is worth reading for the story of the condom. The way the mother reacted to the find, the discussion with her therapist and trying to decide what to do. Did the condom belong to her husband? To her daughter? If her daughter - isn't she too young? What do you do? If it's the husband - who is he sleeping with? Why? How would already strained relationships be impacted by such a simple find?
The way that Gooch navigated that story was fascinating to me, and the ending so satisfactory while also being surprising. The art is all in Gooch's style, very much his own and something that you'll either love or hate.
So, all in all, a good read. I'd be happy to read more of him.
Deep Breaths is a short story collection made up of the zine comics that Gooch had been creating for years prior to publication. The stories run the gamut from fantastical sci-fi to the darkest of horror. While the fantastical stories were interesting - the space princess fiasco in particular was an enjoyable, if bizarre read - Gooch truly shines when it comes to the mundane. The interpersonal relationships that ebb and flow and are pushed to their limits by the discovery of something so simple.
What I mean to say is - this entire book is worth reading for the story of the condom. The way the mother reacted to the find, the discussion with her therapist and trying to decide what to do. Did the condom belong to her husband? To her daughter? If her daughter - isn't she too young? What do you do? If it's the husband - who is he sleeping with? Why? How would already strained relationships be impacted by such a simple find?
The way that Gooch navigated that story was fascinating to me, and the ending so satisfactory while also being surprising. The art is all in Gooch's style, very much his own and something that you'll either love or hate.
So, all in all, a good read. I'd be happy to read more of him.
May 3, 2020
After reading BOTTLED in a single sitting I made sure to keep an eye out for Chris Gooch's other works, and I pounced on this as soon as I found it for a good price.
Like BOTTLED, I also read this in one sitting... And I'll likely do the same for Gooch's next novel.
Gooch has such an excellent understanding of the details of emotion. Details that I don't often see portrayed in comics, or any other art forms for that matter. Despite each story being incredibly short they're all so rich. Gooch's artwork is often simple but I feel like that adds to the universality of his works.
Being an anthology you run into the issue of some stories not being as strong as others, but none of them are even close to being "bad". Some are just a hair weaker. Overall, loved this book.
9/10
Like BOTTLED, I also read this in one sitting... And I'll likely do the same for Gooch's next novel.
Gooch has such an excellent understanding of the details of emotion. Details that I don't often see portrayed in comics, or any other art forms for that matter. Despite each story being incredibly short they're all so rich. Gooch's artwork is often simple but I feel like that adds to the universality of his works.
Being an anthology you run into the issue of some stories not being as strong as others, but none of them are even close to being "bad". Some are just a hair weaker. Overall, loved this book.
9/10
November 4, 2019
A collection of short stories that cover four years of work. Some are ultra surreal while others more slice of life. The one I found to be the strongest was 'One to Make Him Grow' as that disturbs me to no end. All I'll say is it involves a drill.
Short stories are hard to do right so the overall consistency is impressive. Chris Gooch had a knack for character and love the use or color. Can use this as a teaching tool to demonstrate how important color is to setting tone.
Short stories are hard to do right so the overall consistency is impressive. Chris Gooch had a knack for character and love the use or color. Can use this as a teaching tool to demonstrate how important color is to setting tone.
June 12, 2024
What is normal? Normal people and their haunting inner thoughts. My personal favorite story was of the woman who found the condom - the choice she makes is interesting and sad but also realistic - gooch’s work tends to be very character-driven but lack overall plot cohesiveness, but his style shines in this short story collection where it lacks in his other, longer works
May 14, 2025
I wish there was more cohesion with these stories. Some were horror, some sci-fi, some slice-of-life...the collection's summary made it seem like there was a thread that tied all these together, but there really isn't (besides being created by Chris Gooch, obviously) and that annoyed me.
"One to Make Him Grow" was the best of the bunch, and the rest were just...meh.
"One to Make Him Grow" was the best of the bunch, and the rest were just...meh.
April 20, 2020
a bargain bin hit 💥
October 10, 2020
weird genre of horror
some interesting thoughts but not my jam
some interesting thoughts but not my jam
December 27, 2020
DPL hoopla
October 22, 2021
Phenomenal. I loved these stories, simple, clearly illustrated except for when it's unclear. Binging all the Chris Gooch I can get my hands on after Under-earth.
December 4, 2021
Very happy to be on a graphic novel binge, picked this up in my local library and was not disappointed!
Love the illustration style, humour and imagination behind these.
Love the illustration style, humour and imagination behind these.
June 22, 2022
Great ideas, but many of them end abruptly without a true payoff. Some of the endings were extremely unsatisfying
July 2, 2024
It's so gross I love it
November 26, 2024
قصتين من اصل ٩-١٢ قصة اثارت اهتمامي.
القصص موزعة على حسب النشر من ٢٠١٤ إلى ٢٠١٧ تقريبًا
جميع القصص تم رسمها يدويًا وتلوينها ومعالجتها عن طريق جهاز.
الرسم ممل القصص تمتد حتى تفقد اهتمامك فيها.
القصص موزعة على حسب النشر من ٢٠١٤ إلى ٢٠١٧ تقريبًا
جميع القصص تم رسمها يدويًا وتلوينها ومعالجتها عن طريق جهاز.
الرسم ممل القصص تمتد حتى تفقد اهتمامك فيها.
December 24, 2024
It was okay, just random comics
January 31, 2025
Nice to read an Australian Graphic Novel.
March 23, 2021
Its a short story collection, but this one had more misses than hits for me.
The orthodontist working on her child's bully was a winner. The commuter trains favorite passenger also worked for me.
The middle aged woman finding a used condom and unable to to pin it on her daughter or her husband was a miss as was the group of men sneaking into the public pool to drink beer on Wednesday nights. Both stories had something, but they didn't go anywhere and felt unfinished.
The orthodontist working on her child's bully was a winner. The commuter trains favorite passenger also worked for me.
The middle aged woman finding a used condom and unable to to pin it on her daughter or her husband was a miss as was the group of men sneaking into the public pool to drink beer on Wednesday nights. Both stories had something, but they didn't go anywhere and felt unfinished.
December 16, 2025
Favorites:
Buddy
The Effervescent Pill
Curse You, Skullface!
Chris Gooch {Under-Earth, In Utero, Bottled, and Deep Breaths} Review
5/5 stars
This will be a spoiler free review. Onto the review!
I came across this author’s books randomly at the library and I was curious to see what they were about, so I requested all four of them over the course of a couple of months.
Chris Gooch’s first graphic novel is Bottled, which is about a woman who is down on her luck and decides to blackmail an old friend for money in order to get out of her current situation. I personally didn’t like this one that much, because I don’t really care for stories about average people going about their average lives. But it was really well written. What I most appreciated about this one is that there really wasn’t any resolution. The characters are in no better situation at the end than they were at the beginning. It felt like the author just sort of picked out one event from these characters’ lives to tell, and of course real life is messy and things often go unresolved.
The next thing he wrote was a bunch of short stories which were collected into one volume called Deep Breaths. All of the stories were various different lengths, about all sorts of topics. To likely no one’s surprise, I liked all of the ones that had fantasy or sci-fi elements the most. His writing in these still has the same sensibilities as his long work, just mini.
His next full length graphic novel is Under-Earth. It’s set in the near future where people who commit crimes are sent to an underground city to live out the rest of their lives. Existence underground is miserable, because you are forced to work extremely hard for little reward. And there’s no system in place to earn your way back to the surface, so all the work you do is just to have food each day. I really liked Under-Earth. It was pretty long, so there was a lot of time to really develop the themes and characters.
And finally I read In Utero, which is his newest graphic novel. This one has the most fantastical elements, and it leans pretty far into horror as well. This kid is sent to a day camp at an abandoned shopping plaza while her parents work during the summer. During her first day, she meets this older teen who may or may not be a ghost, or possibly something even more disturbing. And then these small brains start appearing everywhere, and it gets really weird from there. Be prepared for body horror (the brains), giant bones of dead monsters, and a big kaiju style fight.
Of all his books, this was the one that I wanted more of the most. As sad as I was to see Under-Earth end, I recognized that it was a metaphor for the broken system and could at least accept it was over. But this one felt a little too short, mostly because I got really attached to the two main characters and didn’t want to leave them behind. I doubt that Chris Gooch has any plans to go back to this world, because he hasn’t yet revisited any of his other ideas once they’re over. But I really just want to see the two of them being friends in the future.
I am so excited to see what Chris Gooch creates in the future. All of his graphic novels so far have been really interesting and explored fascinating themes. I doubt anything will unseat In Utero as my favorite, but I’ll definitely still enjoy anything he writes/draws.
Have a nice day/night everyone!
Buddy
The Effervescent Pill
Curse You, Skullface!
Chris Gooch {Under-Earth, In Utero, Bottled, and Deep Breaths} Review
5/5 stars
This will be a spoiler free review. Onto the review!
I came across this author’s books randomly at the library and I was curious to see what they were about, so I requested all four of them over the course of a couple of months.
Chris Gooch’s first graphic novel is Bottled, which is about a woman who is down on her luck and decides to blackmail an old friend for money in order to get out of her current situation. I personally didn’t like this one that much, because I don’t really care for stories about average people going about their average lives. But it was really well written. What I most appreciated about this one is that there really wasn’t any resolution. The characters are in no better situation at the end than they were at the beginning. It felt like the author just sort of picked out one event from these characters’ lives to tell, and of course real life is messy and things often go unresolved.
The next thing he wrote was a bunch of short stories which were collected into one volume called Deep Breaths. All of the stories were various different lengths, about all sorts of topics. To likely no one’s surprise, I liked all of the ones that had fantasy or sci-fi elements the most. His writing in these still has the same sensibilities as his long work, just mini.
His next full length graphic novel is Under-Earth. It’s set in the near future where people who commit crimes are sent to an underground city to live out the rest of their lives. Existence underground is miserable, because you are forced to work extremely hard for little reward. And there’s no system in place to earn your way back to the surface, so all the work you do is just to have food each day. I really liked Under-Earth. It was pretty long, so there was a lot of time to really develop the themes and characters.
And finally I read In Utero, which is his newest graphic novel. This one has the most fantastical elements, and it leans pretty far into horror as well. This kid is sent to a day camp at an abandoned shopping plaza while her parents work during the summer. During her first day, she meets this older teen who may or may not be a ghost, or possibly something even more disturbing. And then these small brains start appearing everywhere, and it gets really weird from there. Be prepared for body horror (the brains), giant bones of dead monsters, and a big kaiju style fight.
Of all his books, this was the one that I wanted more of the most. As sad as I was to see Under-Earth end, I recognized that it was a metaphor for the broken system and could at least accept it was over. But this one felt a little too short, mostly because I got really attached to the two main characters and didn’t want to leave them behind. I doubt that Chris Gooch has any plans to go back to this world, because he hasn’t yet revisited any of his other ideas once they’re over. But I really just want to see the two of them being friends in the future.
I am so excited to see what Chris Gooch creates in the future. All of his graphic novels so far have been really interesting and explored fascinating themes. I doubt anything will unseat In Utero as my favorite, but I’ll definitely still enjoy anything he writes/draws.
Have a nice day/night everyone!
Read
December 18, 2019Loved this. Reminds me of early short story work from cartoonists like Box Brown and Nick Drnaso. Each story a complete, evocative whole, showcasing Gooch's storytelling range and willingness to experiment as an artist. Happy to know he already has a full-length graphic novel out!
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