English language
Published Nov. 15, 2010 by SLG Pub., Diamond [distributor].
"Elmer is a window into an alternate Earth where chickens have suddenly acquired the intelligence and consciousness of humans, where they consider themselves a race no different from whites, browns, or blacks. Recognizing themselves to be sentient, the inexplicably evolved chickens push to attain the rights for themselves as the newest members of the human race." - back cover
Elmer is an astonishingly well crafted comic, with beautiful art and a masterfully told story. It captures family dynamics superbly and handles racism and civil rights with a lot of grace. It took a while for me to get comfortable with the chicken protagonists in the book, but the abstraction they create masterfully invites the audience to consider horrific real world events in the way the best speculative fiction can.
The story of an angry chicken with a chip on his shoulder (do chickens have shoulders?), Elmer is a beautifully inventive black-and-white comic book graphic novel that takes place in a world where chickens have the intelligence of humans. Jake, the aforementioned angry chicken, is furious at all the perceived slights and injustices he experiences every day at the hands of humans who do not accept chickens are their equals. After the death of his father, Jakes learns of his family's history--and the history of all chickens who suddenly became sentient--and comes to realize what true suffering and hardship is.
Also, I should mention that this book opens with a chicken masturbating to online photos of a naked human starlet. So, if that's your type of thing, you've got something to look forward to.
