In The Pleasure of the Text, Sami Alwani weaves together themes of art induced dissociation, queer intergenerational polyamory, racial capitalism and esoteric mystical experiences into twenty slice-of-life comic stories that are equal parts comedy and tragedy.
These stories question society and individual identity. A talking baby philosophizes away his own emotions. A half-man, half-dog cartoonist's spirit burns too bright when he alienates the entire alternative comics industry, drunk on his own power. A friendly ghost survives COVID quarantine with the help of CBD pot cookies and essential oil diffusers.
There's something for everyone in this cheerful volume collecting all of award-winning Alwani's work-to-date with plenty of never-before-seen material.

Sami Alwani is a cartoonist and illustrator based in Toronto. His comics have appeared in Best American Comics, on Vice and he received a Doug Wright Award in 2018 for his story The Dead Father. His work was exhibited in the Canadian alternative comics survey exhibition "This is Serious" at the Hamilton Art Gallery in 2019.

Sami Alwani's profile page

The Pleasure of the Text is a remarkable debut that showcases Alwani's short comics, which are at once pointed and playful, mundane and metaphysical. This is smart, fun, important work from a fresh voice in Canadian comics.
–Andrew Woodrow-Butcher, Quill & Quire
"Alwani is one of, if not THE most exciting new practitioners of alternative comic art. This is an essential collection of vibrant, exploratory, modern cartooning. Much to meditate on."
-Simon Hanselmann, award-winning creator of the Megg, Mogg and Owl series
"Sami Alwani is the quintessential cartoonist of the interregnum - this period of flux between the collapse of capitalism and the rise of something else. "The Dead Father," and his other stories describe in fascinating detail the heartbreaking struggles of a young cartoonist in search of professional and social status in the midst of a broken culture. I hope that readers will recognize his bravery."
-Ben Katchor, creator of Cheap Novelties: The Pleasures of Urban Decay
"I love Sami Alwani's style, his tender flat hysteria, and his naked honesty. And the way he depicts queerness is so removed from cuddly rainbow-tinged pop culture - it's beautiful and raw, and very very real."
- Roman Muradov, creator of On Doing Nothing: Finding Inspiration in Idleness