For the love of comics, and legends

Joe Ollmann is the cartoonist’s cartoonist. Seek him out at a book event: he’ll be approachable, affable, self-deprecating and probably drawing. He will also be popular among his fellow cartoonists, because Ollmann gets it. He understands comics.

Now, with a deep understanding of the medium, he’s made “Fictional Father,” a graphic novel about comic strips, those who make them and the people trapped in their orbit. On the back cover, none other than Canadian comics legend Seth calls Ollmann “a national treasure” — and he’s right.

Ollmann, who is from Hamilton, has a delicious understanding of the craft of good comics, and his visual language shows it. His constant use of the classic nine-panel grid creates accessibility, while characters such as the aging, angry Jimmi Wyatt look grotesque but are simpler than they look.

Another part of comics that’s hard to get right — and easy to get wrong — is dialogue, and Ollmann paces his perfectly. Take, for example, this line from Caleb’s mother, Pearl: “I’m not drunk, Caleb. Well, not just drunk. I also took two Xanax.” He replies “Jesus,” completing a single panel rendered effective by sheer cadence of language, arranged neatly in 14 words across two word balloons. This level of craft is hard to achieve and impossible to fake. “Fictional Father” is a story about comics by a creator who loves comics, and it’s a treat.

Here’s the story: cartoonist Jimmi Wyatt has been revered for decades as the man behind “Sonny Side Up,” a sicklysweet newspaper strip about the bond between a father and son. There’s a bluecollar dad and his cheeky boy, and they often share a cookie while we enjoy the moment.

This has made Wyatt world-famous as “everybody’s dad.” His son, Caleb, jokes bitterly that he was everybody else’s dad, because the real Jimmi Wyatt is a selfobsessed misanthrope who neglects his son and resents his wife. More interested in a martini than a hug, Wyatt hobnobs with A-list stars while ignoring the people closest to him.

“Fictional Father” focuses on Caleb’s attempts to have a relationship with parents who aren’t equipped to be parental. It’s clear this family has something to teach us all, especially as we watch grown-up Caleb, now a recovering addict, trying to connect with his dad while establishing his own career as an artist and understanding his own self-worth, or lack of it. Are we all destined to become our parents? There’s a lot to think about in this book.

There are also cartoonists in it. Delightfully, Ollmann has stuffed “Fictional Father” with references to comics mainstream and underground, anecdotes about real-life legends such as “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schultz, and cameos by real people (including Seth). Ollmann also brings in the relationship between Hank Ketcham, creator of “Dennis the Menace,” and his son Dennis, from whom he became estranged. There’s a another layer of “Fictional Father” to keep you fascinated.

But the book’s human story is its strength. With Caleb at its heart, and his internal monologue the narrative driving force, “Fictional Father” challenges readers to look past the pen-and-ink medium and consider their own relationships with the people — and addictive substances — around them.

While doing it, it also exists as a wonderful artifact of comic book storytelling. The cover shows a blue pencil sketch of frowning Jimmi Wyatt with a smile crudely inked overtop, a double reference to the process of creating a strip and to faking feelings.

“Fictional Father” keeps you coming back. Look again, and you may spot new details in the backgrounds, nuance in the faces and more cleverness in the story. It’s one of those books that deserves to be read more than once.

Joe OIlmann knows that, because that’s how the best comics work, and he’s really good at comics.