Paul Moves Out

Tami Oliphant is a Ph.D. candidate in Library and Information Studies at the University of Western Ontario.

Starting from where Michel Rabagliati left our charming protagonist in
Paul Has a Summer Job, Paul Moves Out finds Paul back in Montreal
attending his second year at Studio Séguin, School of Commercial Art.
Paul Moves Out continues Paul’s journey into adulthood as he deals
with new responsibilities such as landlords, loss, love, and letting
someone down easy. This graphic novel recounts a number of different
stories of Paul’s early adulthood—his experiences at art school, a
trip to New York, John Lennon’s death, family matters, and Paul’s
first serious relationship with another art student, Lucie.

Although Paul meets Lucie during his first year in the commercial art
program and they hit it off when they discuss comic books, Paul finds
the art program itself uninspiring. On the first day back, however, Paul
finds the school is abuzz with the news that the class is to have a new
instructor, Jean-Louis. Jean-Louis galvanizes the students—he teaches
them about graphic design, modern films, art, and music. He befriends
Paul, Lucie, and a few other students. Paul occasionally feels out of
his depth in Jean-Louis’s older, intellectual crowd. Rabagliati
perfectly captures the social awkwardness and exuberance of young adults
who want to appear worldly but are making discoveries for the first
time. When Paul, Lucie, and another student go to New York on a trip
that Jean-Louis arranges, Paul is unprepared for a pass that Jean-Louis
makes. Paul berates himself for his reaction but ultimately learns a
valuable lesson. On that same trip to New York, Paul and Lucie’s
platonic relationship switches gears, and the remainder of the novel
follows their romance and experiences figuring out what they want to do
with their lives.

Rabagliati effectively moves between the years and weaves together a
number of different storylines. By using simple black-and-white panels,
he creates energetic illustrations that reflect the joy of young
adulthood. Although Paul Moves Out focuses on the years 1979–83, all
readers will be engrossed in Rabagliati’s authentic work.