I read “Typographer” when it was first published in English in Drawn and Quarterly 3 (2000), and for a time it shaped, and distorted, my opinion of Rabagliati’s art. In the final panel, Paul falls asleep, and we see the two Linotype rows on his night table we’ve seen the “Paul” one earlier in the story, but “I love you sonny boy” is new to us, and provides a sweet coda to “Typographer.” He looks at one of his boogers under a loupe, and finds pictures of naked women on the bathroom walls. Then, while his father works a bit, Paul explores the shop on his own. Dad uses the Linotype machine to make two metal rows of text-with words arranged in reverse order, to print correctly when applied to paper-as gifts for his son. After eating, Paul and Dad visit the typography shop where his father works, and Dad gives Paul informal lessons on how to operate various printing devices.
In “Typographer,” Paul (a teenage Rabagliati in all but name) is picked up from accordion practice by his father, who then takes Paul out to lunch.
This is a gentle conclusion to a gentle story. My first Rabagliati story was “Paul, Apprentice Typographer” (2000), his second-ever comic, and a look at the final panel of “Typographer” will unlock some of the feelings, past and present, I’ve had about his work. I’ve been reading Michel Rabagliati’s comics since the beginning of his career. Features One Life, Many Books: Michel Rabagliati’s Paul
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