Professor Julie Heffernan Publishes Graphic Novel to Great Acclaim

Acclaimed painter Julie Heffernan makes her foray into the graphic novel world with Babe in the Woods, a visually captivating and deeply personal autofiction that promises to resonate with fans of Alison Bechdel, Roz Chast, and Marjane Satrapi. This stunning four-color graphic work melds Heffernan’s signature artistic style with a compelling narrative that blends memory, imagination, and survival in the face of unexpected challenges.

The story follows a young mother and artist, Julie, who embarks on a solo hike with her infant son to escape the pressures of new motherhood and her strained domestic life. What starts as a simple getaway quickly turns into a journey of self-discovery when Julie becomes lost in the woods. As she navigates her way through the wilderness, Julie reflects on pivotal moments in her life—her childhood, marriage, and artistic path. As night falls and she faces the reality of her situation, the novel explores themes of survival and self-reliance, with each challenge becoming an opportunity for personal growth.

Heffernan intertwines Julie’s physical journey with her artistic reflections, invoking the lives of famous painters like Artemisia Gentileschi and exploring the strength of women in works like Rubens’ The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus. These artistic references serve as guideposts, illuminating how art can help one navigate life’s obstacles, offering both solace and perspective.

Visually arresting, Babe in the Woods reflects Heffernan’s prowess as a fine artist, with each page brimming with intricate details and lush, imaginative scenes. Even though much of the illustration for the novel was done in Microsoft Paint, which gives the book a sketchy, glitchy quality, completely in opposition to her oil paintings. Her painterly skill elevates the graphic novel format, offering readers an immersive experience where images and words seamlessly intertwine.

In Heffernan’s own words, the project started as an unexpected endeavor: “Babe in the Woods, or the Art of Getting Lost came about as a result of a sabbatical proposal that the university encouraged, much to my surprise!, since I’d never done anything like that before. When one of my colleagues on the tenure review committee asked to see a couple pages of the proposed graphic novel, I gulped, bought a bunch of drawing paper and Rapidograph pens and went to work. I quickly realized it was going to be way too complicated a process to do with pen and paper, so bought myself a computer with the simplest digital ‘paint’ program on it, one that doesn’t allow you to work in any layers at all, which I didn’t understand how to do anyway, and somehow it became a real book, one that Algonquin actually wanted to publish! Beginners luck? Maybe, but I’m thrilled!”

At its core, Babe in the Woods is more than just a tale of survival; it is a meditation on the role of art in shaping our perceptions of the world. Heffernan’s story highlights how creativity can serve as both a mirror and a map, offering new ways of seeing, thinking, and navigating the complexities of life.

With Babe in the Woods, Julie Heffernan establishes herself not only as a visionary painter but also as a masterful storyteller, delivering a graphic novel that is as emotionally rich as it is visually stunning.
To celebrate the release of Babe in the Woods, Heffernan held a book signing and discussion on Tuesday, September 3rd at the Strand Book Store in New York City. She was joined by fellow author and Booker Prize finalist Diane Cook.

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