Black Cohosh

A heartfelt, comedic coming-of-age debut from a bright new talent

When we meet Eagle Valiant Brosi, he is a long-haired commune kid, bullied by other kids, teachers, and his neighbors. And because of his speech impediment, Eagle observessilently and often. Mom--a classic earthy, free spirit prone to discursive lectures on naturalmedicine and the efficacy of certain plants--is the only one who really cares. So Eagle letsothers talk and talk and talk, revealing their true natures and selfish (sometimes evenselfless) motivations.

In Black Cohosh, Eagle pieces together the puzzling and hurtful things he has been told ashe takes his first, tragic steps into adulthood. While things may seem grim, Brosi’sdrawings are loose and limber, stretching and falling across each page. His cast of hippiearchetypes come with iconic thatches of hair, bushy beards, and scrawny, gesticulatingarms. Black Cohosh is a captivating debut from a natural storyteller with the expert timingof a veteran comedian and the soothing empathy of a death doula.

Eagle Valiant Brosi was raised in an unconventional, back-to-the-land hippie lifestyle in the Appalachian foothills. Despite his non-traditional beginnings, Eagle conformed to the standard life of an American capitalist. He works from home, making a computer sigh and groan.

In this routine, days pass by without much human interaction. His garden, however, provides a contrast to the quiet work life. Among rows of tomatoes, beans, zucchini, summer squash, he enjoys the good company of slugs, mosquitoes, and bumblebees. If he closes his eyes hard enough, he forgets about the life he was supposed to lead and who he was supposed to be.