REVIEW: The Art of Failing Buddhism

Writer and Artist: Ryan Dow
Review: William R. Davis Jr.

The web comic has officially arrived, and has ushered in a welcome addition to monthly floppies and graphic novels. It is an undeniable truth that the internet completely changed the business forever. If you have internet access, you can easily become a comic creator in less than a week, for better or worse. Where there were once only comic con booths and word of mouth, there is now Kickstarter, ComiXpress, and Twitter. And thank God for that, because burgeoning comic creators like Ryan Dow really benefit from the internet and get much more exposure these days. The Art of Failing Buddhism is not as much about religion as it is being human, and flawed, and searching for answers, any answers, in a world full of so many painful questions.

The introspective bio-comic is hardly a new concept, ever since Spiegelman and Pekar there have been many incantations, some brilliant, and some that exist merely to wallow in their own self pity. What makes The Art of Failing Buddhism stand out, is that while the book is full of human moments, both highs and despair alike, it rings with authenticity, and deals with everything from developing romantic relationships to dealing with mental illness. And this authenticity, and these real human moments are what will really sell this web comic for readers. For we all share similar problems in life, and the face that we show to the world is a much different one that we show ourselves on a Tuesday night in our apartment alone. There are whole industries dedicated to helping us facilitate the denial of the humanity in ourselves. The reason why drugs and alcohol sell the way they do is that life is painful and we want to forget, even if for one night; even if it is all there waiting for us in the morning.

It takes courage to write a book like Failing the Art of Buddhism. When we can not just confront that pain, but make a connection with others using that inner sorrow, to me, that is the mark of a true artist. It is not a perfect book by any means. It leans heavily on dialogue, and even though the art is very basic, somehow this one just works. The site is usually updated on Wednesdays, but is sometimes delayed due to Ryan Dow having to grind it out on a 9 to 5 while working on a comic at the same time. I think most of us can sympathize with that particular predicament. I can't even remember the last week that all three HCB writers got their reviews and interviews in on time, so we have to cut the man some slack there.

The Art of Failing Buddhism can be found online, and collections of the web comic can also be purchased through the same website. Check it out here: http://ryandow.com/ic/tag/art-of-failing-buddhism/

You can read everything here for free, but I encourage you to buy the collected works and support independent comic creators that produce quality work like Ryan Dow.

Until next week, or maybe nine days (I dunno).

Hugs,

William