Shannon, Searcher–More Wareness

First of all, I’d just like to point out that anything can be made into merchandise. How disturbing would it be to have a Jimmy doll standing on your shelf? And would you pay 45 Euro for it?

Things to buy from Ware

On to my main link, the Acme Novelty Archive. This will show you exerpts from most of Ware’s work, which seems to always feature lots of small boxes, cut-out models, and other interesting parallels to Jimmy Corrigan. It makes me wonder whether such things have any particular symbolism in the novel, or if they are just stylistic preferences for Ware. In the archive, you can search for anything that features Jimmy Corrigan, but, as the site itself tells you, it’s “not particularly useful if you’re trying to narrow your search.” I hadn’t realized this, but Jimmy appears in much of Ware’s artwork, often simply as an icon (I assume for depression or childhood fantasies or bleakness). In fact, the character was around before the novel. You can view an issue of the New Yorker that uses him to represent American fiction as it currently stands. It seems like a full understanding of Jimmy Corrigan requires viewing it in the context of all of Ware’s work.

Acme Novelty Archive