When Love Is a Curse: Black Hole by Charles Burn
Black Hole is a serialized comic book released between 1995 and 2005 by American comic book creator Charles Burns, who got his start at “RAW”, the groundbreaking underground comix-zine by famous cartoonist Art Spiegelman and publisher Francoise Mouly.
In the 1990s, he started working on what was about to become one of today’s most influential graphic novels - Black Hole.
In thick woodcut-like drawings, Burns tells a story set in 1970s Seattle about a mysterious sexually transmitted disease, which leads to teenagers experiencing physical deformities. The disease, called the “Bug”, instantly makes anybody infected into an outcast, creating groups of teenagers finding refuge in camps in the nearby woods.
Suffering from boils, hair loss, and additional limbs, the “Bug” is nothing more than a horrifying and isolating curse. Burns used the bizarre mutations they go through as a symbol for sexual awakening and the transition into adulthood.
Described as “more of a romance than a horror story”, he found inspiration in 1950 and 1960 romance comics, while still telling the story of alienation in shocking illustrations.
The whole series has been re-released in paperback, and thanks to Burn’s unique handling of topics like teenage love, sex, the transition into adult life, and anxiety, Black Hole has also become a staple in literary studies at universities and go-to literature for teenagers worldwide. The outstanding drawing style and the storytelling with different narrators changing over the course of the story create a timeless comic, challenging the reader to rethink their beliefs about beauty standards, love, and expectations.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
