Belly, belly good

Dash Shaw's Bottomless Belly Button is, at 720 pages, a daunting proposition, but the end result is surely one of this year's best graphic novels. The vigorously talented 25-year-old has produced a complex family drama that is at once sweeping, terrifically nuanced and utterly captivating. After 40-plus years of marriage, Maggie and David Loony shock their three children with news of their planned divorce. The revelation sparks a week-long reunion at the family's beach house, where the eldest, Dennis, embarks on a quest to discover the truth behind their estrangement. Shaw's imagery abounds with technical sophistication, notably displaying a consistent ability to involve the reader, inviting them to connect seemingly disparate threads, with engrossing subtlety.