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Tedward by Josh Pettinger is what you would get if you paused Clowes at ‘Lloyd Lewellyn’ and baked in the flat colors he mastered in Eightball, and carried forward that offbeat storytelling with a singular character. This isn’t to say Pettinger’s effort here is a carbon copy, this is to say he picked up the torch Clowes left behind and carried it upwards into new heights.
The artwork is phenomenal at every page turn and you really get a sense that Pettinger is engrossed in the work. There’s humor, suspense, crime, and romance all contained within this compilation of Tedward stories Pettinger self published over the course of a few years. All in all there are 9 stories in this collection, with a wonderful contribution from Simon Hanselmann, who very obviously understands the aloofness and sexual tension of the main protagonist. Towards the end of this collection Pettinger strings three or four of these stories together in a loose and believable way and ends this book on a cliffhanger that has me excited about the potential future (if there is one, you gotta read it to find out!) of Tedward as a character.
The stories are packaged together in a gorgeous hardcover with raised accents and a very trippy front cover and back cover. Pink is the main color of the book and it really makes the collection stand out on any shelf. I usually do video previews/reviews but chose to actually do this as a written review as I don’t want to spoil anything that a reader would get in a first read through, another reason why I’m leaving out story details, go into this blind and you will not regret it.
If you know anyone in their mid to late 20s this is the book for them, I really can’t recommend it enough. Pettinger is definitely punching above with this release and I’m sure this book will be a hit when it releases, it also adds Pettinger’s name into the pantheon of Fantagraphics cartoonists.
Tedward Releases March 18, 2025, you can order from the Fantagraphics website HERE
