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the tone for the stories that follow. As in the real world, trends dominate the culture, but in this odd metropolis, the trends are downright weird.

In a piece titled "Moving Man Monthly", an accountant fantasizes about becoming a furniture mover and subscribes to a magazine devoted to moving men, but he is sickened by the site of a crew of movers. "Middle-aged menkilling themselves hauling worthless chipboard furnitre," he says in disgust.

"The Prestige Address" tells how small businesses purchase addresses in a prestigious office building downtown in order to create the illusion of wealth. Operators at the building recieve the mail and ship it to the owner's real address. The suite number reveals the history and hierarchical position of each business. "I'm on the third tier, sixth from the left, above Johnson's Give-Yourself-A-Trophy Co. and next door to the Illob at Corporation of Amercia," one entrepreneur boasts.

Katchor uses a skethy pen and ink style with simple scenery and characters. Forgoing the process of giving the characters distinct features, he instead gives them universal, indistinguishable qualities. In some stories, Knipl is the narrator, but in others he makes quick, easy-to-miss cameo appearances.

The tone of the comic is similar to the cool simple, style of Seth's Palookaville. Many of the story lines about forgotten products and washed-up salesmen in the Beauty Supply District are similar to the elderly electric fan salesmen in the latest Palookaville series.

Overall, the book is unusual, endearing and smart. In the eight or so frames Katchor uses, he tells a story with great thought and depth.

Like other great comic artists of the day -- Dan Clowes, Chris Ware, Joe Sacco -- Katchor casts off the impending reputation comics have maintained since they first came into existence about a hunderd years ago. It's 2001 and it's not comics anymore, it's art.

-- Tim Inklebarger

Robert Silverberg, The World Inside