The Boulevard of Broken Dreams — Kim Deitch

The newest addition to Pantheon's growing list of graphic novels: a visually beautiful, narratively intricate, and powerful book by one of the most original, andâ€"until nowâ€"least recognized comic artists at work today.

The place is New York City in 1933. The setting: the Fontaine Talking Fables animation studio. Teddy Mishkinâ€"definitely alcoholic, possibly insaneâ€"is hard at work on the latest cartoon short for Waldo the Cat, the "star" of Fontaine's stable of animated characters. But little does anyone (except Teddy) realize that Waldo is realâ€"and that he is Teddy's insidiously helpful assistant.