Wendy, Master of Art

By Walter Scott. Published by Drawn & Quarterly. 

Softcover, 276 pages, B&W, 2020. 

"[In Wendy, Master of Art,] Scott manages a rare thing: the sharpness of his satire doesn’t preclude a realistic rendering of personhood, and the seeming flatness opens up, at every turn, to a depth of feeling…. His mastery of his characters’ faces and gestures is also wonderful, his line quick and sure and expressive." —The New Yorker

The existential dread of making (or not making) art takes center stage in this trenchant satire of MFA culture

Wendy is an aspiring contemporary artist whose adventures have taken her to galleries, art openings, and parties in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Toronto. In Wendy, Master of Art, Walter Scott’s sly wit and social commentary zero in on MFA culture as our hero hunkers down to complete a master of fine arts at the University of Hell in small-town Ontario.

Finally Wendy has space to refine her artistic practice, but in this calm, all of her unresolved insecurities and fears explode at full volume—usually while hungover. What is the post-Jungian object as symbol? Will she ever understand her course reading—or herself? What if she’s just not smart enough? As she develops as an artist and a person, Wendy also finds herself in a teaching position, mentoring a perpetually sobbing grade-grubbing undergrad.

Scott’s incisively funny take on art school pretensions isn’t the only focus. Wendy, Master of Art explores the politics of open relationships and polyamory, performative activism, the precariousness of a life in the arts, as well as the complexities of gender identity, sex work, drug use, and more. At its heart, this is a book about the give and take of community—about learning to navigate empathy and boundaries, and to respect herself. It is deeply funny and endlessly relatable as it shows Wendy growing from millennial art party girl to successful artist, friend, teacher—and Master of Art.

"I am blown away by Walter Scott’s Wendy." —Zadie Smith

"As well as being very funny and acute, Wendy, Master of Art is also weirdly touching. For all her faults, [Walter Scott's] heroine is intensely likable." —Rachel Cooke, The Guardian

"[In Wendy, Master of Art,] Scott manages a rare thing: the sharpness of his satire doesn’t preclude a realistic rendering of personhood, and the seeming flatness opens up, at every turn, to a depth of feeling…. His mastery of his characters’ faces and gestures is also wonderful, his line quick and sure and expressive."
—The New Yorker

"I thought I regretted not going to art school until a friend introduced me to Walter Scott’s Wendycomic book series... Wendyskewers art school and young adulthood alike via the lens of [its] titular protagonist."
—New York Times

"The funniest graphic novel of the year." —The Guardian, Best of 2020

"Funny, poignant, and scary. Scott makes you laugh and then rips your heart out." —Lit Hub

"Despite the signs that she might be growing up, Wendy’s rubber-band body and flailing limbs still draw laughs like a seasoned physical comedian." —Quill & Quire, 2020 Books of the Year

"With Wendy, Walter Scott gives readers the life of an artist suffused with too many hangovers, too much screen-time, and too much self-consciousness—sordid, hilarious, and compassionate." —Globe & Mail

"Whether you see yourself or your friends in the Wendyverse or not, and no matter your proximity to the art world, Wendy comics are painfully relatable and incontrovertibly hilarious in their honest account of life as a young person." —Canadian Art

"[Scott] achieves what all my favorite artworks-about-art do, which is to show that art, identity, and politics are fluid parts of being alive, informing one another in mysterious and fascinating ways."
—Garage

"Scott’s satire is sharp and his slapstick refined: even the merest doodle is side-splitting."
—Globe and Mail, Best Books of 2020

"Scott takes advantage of the many hidden possibilities of the comic medium for a story that could be told no other way... Wendy, Master of Art is a great pick for students, ex-students or anyone who likes to laugh."
—Emma Levy, Shelf Awareness

"[Walter Scott is] a skillfully economic storyteller with a sharp wit, especially sending up academic art-speak."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Wendy’s personal life remains chaotic, hilarious, and relatable…" —Quill & Quire