STEVE JOBS

An unsparing yet also very human graphic depiction of Steve Jobs’ life.

It is no secret that Jobs was a hard case, but Quinn’s work displays him in all his tempestuousness: as extreme and antagonistic as he was meticulous and inspired. Tayal’s smartly paced, round-edged, clean panels convey the tension and urgency Jobs brought to his projects, his brash and abrasive exterior balanced by thought bubbles that reveal even rawer emotions and a drive that feels combustible. What is particularly effective here is the creation of the Apple world, one in which Jobs would be pivotal, but with other significant players, many of whom get the full-flesh treatment from Quinn, such as uber-geek Steve Wozniak and design whiz Jony Ive, and the business guys Mike Scott and John Sculley. Jobs’ family is gradually brought into the fold, as are his fascinations with diet and Zen Buddhism and the unfortunate notion he held that he didn’t have to bathe but once a week thanks to his mucusless eating habits. By the end of the story, it is clear where Jobs fit into the Apple picture, with all his imperfections amid the perfectionism.

Jobs was a difficult character, but it was his very restlessness, which Quinn plays like a fiddle, that helped change how we live in the world.