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Beyond alternative: Michael DeForge and the new grotesque

ABSTRACT This article compares the grotesque imagery of contemporary comic artist Michael DeForge with the art of earlier underground and alternative artists, including Robert Crumb and Julie Doucet. Drawing upon Julia Kristeva’s concept of the abject to characterise DeForge’s disturbing imagery, the article contends that his grotesque imagery blurs the line between the subject and the other. Whereas earlier alternative artists used the grotesque to subvert mainstream aesthetic sensibilities and deliver social commentary, DeForge’s art encourages the reader to reflect upon broader themes of identity and alienation. These contrasting applications of the grotesque arise from the changing relationship between alternative comic artists and an increasingly nebulous mainstream.