By Doris Lessing & Charlie Adlard (HarperCollins Publications 1995/Fourth Estate)
ISBN: 978-58621-689-7 (Album PB)
Author, poet, playwright, biographer, Nobel Laureate and literary big gun Doris May Lessing (22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) did the unexpected for her entire career, writing about what was personally important and effectively damning her critics by ignoring them.
The much-celebrated author of The Grass is Singing, Children of Violence, The Good Terrorist and The Golden Notebook delivered a major blow to literary snobs who sneered at science fiction as nothing but a degraded form with her five volume Canopus in Argos: Archives and she was just as insensible to hidebound criticism when she wrote this slim graphic novella…
With art by Charlie Adlard, Playing the Game is a simple, harsh yet lyrical tale describing the rise – and life philosophy – of Spacer Joe Magnifico, whose mighty self-confidence and risk-everything nature takes him out of the desperate slums of a dystopic future city-slum to within spitting distances of the vault of Heaven, whether it be seen as freedom, wealth, security or fantastic love.
Does he flee or free himself from the true, dirty, real world and the physically limited carnality of Bella-Rose, to join with the sublime Francesca Bird? Can he keep what his determination has won him? Which is stronger: Will or Chance?
Chillingly, a recent reread seemed to display a propensity for prophetic allegory: the dare-everything, nobody-can-touch mental dysfunction Magnifico is stricken with makes a perfect template for many current world leaders who think nothing will stick and that they are immune from consequences. As in this book, Time will tell…
Praised as a major boost in credibility for graphic narrative on its release, this is a work largely ignored by the comics community itself. We still desperately want the big world to take us seriously, but instances we cite still tend to be couched in terms of the movies our best stuff spawns, rather than in the magic of word and pictures on paper, and that in itself limits us. I haven’t yet seen a decent film version of Spiegelman’s Maus, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or From Hell …or even James Joyce’s Ulysses, come to that…
The scope of content needn’t overwhelm the depth of intent and this is a parable with as much unsaid and un-drawn as shown and told. This is not a case of less than meets the eye… as you will find if you try it.
Tragically and inexplicably, it’s still not been taken up digitally anywhere, but copies can be found on line at ludicrous prices, so if you want it Playing the Game can still be yours…
© 1995 Doris Lessing. Art © 1995 Charlie Adlard. All Rights Reserved.