The Raincoat and Other Short Stories

Over the last 6 years, Zad Kokar has created 20 heartfelt autobiographical short stories. From touring stories, dreams, and personal anecdotes to childhood memories, the author crystallizes real-life moments in his spontaneous, raw, black and white style.

While some of these pages have been published in various fanzines, for most, this book will be their very first publication. Petite Nature is delighted to finally be able to publish “The Raincoat”, a collection of the 200+ pages that make up these comic strips.

“The Raincoat” provides an entertaining and immersive account of the adventures of a touring band (for better or worse). From Canada to Czech Republic, instruments and band members are transported from one DIY venue to another, loud alien music is played, and new people and animals are encountered on the way to mysterious locations. With and without the Combi Beyaz, Zad Kokar recounts the experience of more than 15 years of intense touring and organizing shows, mixing here his activities as an experimental musician, DIY archivist, and comic strip artist.

« The Raincoat » is a true journey through different eras, and another side of the book takes the reader in the childhood memories of Zad Kokar. Anyone who grew up in the 90s will probably identify and remember the gentle melancholy of this transitional era. A time that saw the emergence of the Internet, a bridge between the analog and digital worlds. Zad gently transports us into the zeitgeist of that era, evoking the pop culture, video games and music of his childhood and adolescence.

Furthermore, on some pages of “The Raincoat” we are invited to dive into Zad Kokar’s dreams, where we encounter his obsessions with extraterrestrials, distant worlds, and his fears of a post-apocalyptic world. These are themes that can be found in the author’s previous works, such as “Tozzy” and “Mendax”, and that he will certainly continue to explore in the future.

Influenced by the works of Julie Doucet, JC Menu, and Robert Crumb, the 20 stories featured in “The Raincoat” offer a refreshing take on autobiographical comics, where Zad Kokar works freely to give each segment a peculiar visual and narrative form. The result is dynamic, immersive, and honest story-telling.