Gesticulating Gentrification

It was the 1980s, and Rick Trembles was just a suburban casualty—at least according to the songs of the punk band he played guitar for, The Electric Vomit. Now, those same lyrics are plastered on the pages of his graphic memoir, Gesticulating Gentrification (Conundrum). With an older and more reflective, yet still rebellious, spirit, the cartoonist and musician embarks on a witty trip down a corridor of memories. Trembles splits the story into chapters detailing honest tales of family dynamics; the cuts and bruises of early adulthood; and the financial insecurity of life in bustling Montreal. The memoir follows Trembles’ adventures through his time working as an apprentice at a commercial art studio, losing that job and moving back in with his parents, then moving into an apartment so ancient that it’s eventually slated for demolition by the landlord. These sagas exemplify the book’s central ...