<DIV><P><B>A mysterious, unsettling parable from one of North America’s most popular cartoonists<BR></B><I><BR>First Year Healthy</I> purports to be the story of a young woman, recently released from the hospital after an outburst, and her burgeoning relationship with an odd, perhaps criminal Turkish immigrant. In a scant forty-five pages, working with a vibrant, otherworldly palette of magentas, yellows, and grays, Michael DeForge brings to life a world whose shifting realities are as treacherous as the thin ice its narrator walks on. <I>First Year Healthy</I> is all it appears to be and more: a parable about mental illness, a folktale about magical cats, and a bizarre, compelling story about relationships.<BR> DeForge’s singular voice and vision have, in a few short years, rocketed his work to the apex of the contemporary comics canon. <I>Ant Colony </I>was<I> </I>his first book with Drawn & Quarterly: It appeared on <I>The New York Times</I> Graphic Bestseller List and was lauded by the <I>Chicago Tribune</I>,<I> The Globe and Mail</I>, and <I>Harper’s Magazine</I>. His effortless storytelling and eye for striking page design make each page of <I>First Year Healthy </I>a fascinating puzzle to be unraveled. <I>First Year Healthy</I>, knotty and mysterious, demands to be read and reread.</DIV>