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An illustration of a purple general store at night under a dark sky. A sign on the roof reads “Pete’s General Store”, flanked by two “Drink Coca-Cola” logos.

Illustration: Comic book king Seth's work is now on show in all its glory

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Date
9 September 2013

Gregory Gallant, aka Seth, has an almost mythical status in the minds of comic book aficionados. The Canadian cartoonist has been creating comic books since well before I started eating school dinners, and his strong and very recognisable style harks back to the illustration of years gone by. He’s best known for the excellent series Palookaville and his mock-autobiographical graphic novel It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken which is the focus of the new exhibition at New York’s Adam Baumgold Gallery.

The works on show, from covers for various publications to sheets and sheets of panels from It’s a Good Life, are a testament to the career he has built as one of the key comic book artists of contemporary culture, gently critiquing modern society with a wit entirely his own. If you’re able to I’d strongly recommend popping down to the show to get your fill of what Seth has to offer; if you’ve not heard of him, you’ll spend a solid couple of hours nourishing your brain with his exceptional contribution to the genre of graphic fiction in contemporary culture, and if you have, you won’t even know what to do with yourself for excitement at the prospect of submerging yourself in a room papered with his work.

It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken is at the Adam Baumgold gallery from tomorrow until October 25.

An illustration of three people playing instruments against a bright blue background. In the foreground, a person in a teal suit and grey hat plays a banjo. Behind them, two others play a violin and a guitar.
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Seth: Front cover for Drawn and Quarterly 1

An illustration of a person in a light green suit and hat kneeling in a library. They reach for a book on a shelf while holding another book in their hand.
Above

Seth: Palookaville Cover #4

An illustration of five people standing in front of a “Fish & Chips” shop. They all wear tall, silver, metallic hats with a grid-like texture.
Above

Seth: (Untitled) Fish and Chips

An illustration of a person with curly blue hair sitting cross-legged in a field of blue flowers. They wear a blue checked dress and a white bow in their hair, with their eyes closed. In the background, a house and a water tower stand under a dark, starry night sky.
Above

Seth: Untitled

An illustration of a purple general store at night under a dark, starry sky. A sign above the porch reads “Pete’s General Store”, flanked by two “Drink Coca-Cola” logos.
Above

Seth: Untitled

A stylised portrait of Diego Rivera in a dark suit and a red patterned tie. In the bottom left corner, handwritten text reads “Kalo 1914 to 1979”.
Above

Seth: Palookaville Cover #9

A black and white illustration of a house framed by bare trees. Above the scene, cursive text reads “It’s a good life, if you don’t weaken” and “PART 4”. Below, two panels show a person in a hat and glasses. In the second panel, they knock on a door, with the words “KNOCK KNOCK” written beside them.
Above

Seth: 85

An illustration of a row of storefronts at night under a starry sky. The central blue building reads “Variety Store” and “C. Nutt”, flanked by “Turner Shoes” and “F. S Body Shop”.
Above

Seth: Untitled

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About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

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Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

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