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{{short description|Graphic novel by Seth}}
{{Infobox graphic novel <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> 
| title     = Clyde Fans
| image     = ClydeFansBookOneCover.gif
| imagesize = <!-- default 250 -->
| caption   = Cover to ''Clyde Fans: Book One'' ([[Drawn & Quarterly]], 2004)
| publisher = [[Drawn & Quarterly]]
| date      = 1997–2004
| series    = ''[[Palookaville (comics)|Palookaville]]''
| creator   = [[Seth (cartoonist)|Seth]]
| pages     = 156
| previssue = ''[[George Sprott]]'' 
| nextissue = 
}}
'''''Clyde Fans''''' is a [[graphic novel]] (or "picture novel") by [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[cartoonist]] [[Seth (cartoonist)|Seth]].

The story follows two brothers—one outgoing, the other painfully [[Extraversion and introversion|introverted]]—as they watch their [[Mechanical fan|electric fan]] business go under in the face of competition from the [[air conditioning]] industry.

Seth serialized ''Clyde Fans'' in issues {{No.|10–23}} of his [[comic book]] ''[[Palookaville (comics)|Palookaville]]'' from 1998 to 2017. The collection ''Clyde Fans: Part One'' (collecting issues 10-12) appeared in 2000, but ''Part Two'' was never published. ''Part One'' and the contents from issues 13-15 were collected in 2004 as ''Clyde Fans: Book One''. Finally, the entire work was published by [[Drawn & Quarterly]] on April 16, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=Comics Book Review: Clyde Fans by Seth.|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-77046-357-8|website=[[Publishers Weekly]]|publisher=PWxyz, LLC|accessdate=28 April 2019|date=24 December 2018}}</ref>

It was longlisted for the [[Giller Prize]] in 2020, the first graphic novel to make a Giller nomination list.<ref>Deborah Dundas, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2020/09/08/thomas-king-emma-donoghue-make-the-2020-giller-longlist-in-a-year-marked-by-firsts.html "Thomas King, Emma Donoghue make the 2020 Giller Longlist in a year marked by firsts"]. ''[[toronto Star]]'', September 8, 2020.</ref>

==Overview==
''Clyde Fans'' is the story of two brothers and their failure to keep their family business afloat in the face of changing technology, as well as the two brothers' unsociability, which one brother is able to deal with on the surface, but the other is painfully unable to.<ref name="PW2004" /> The finished book encompasses five parts.<ref name="ACoolBreeze" />

===Synopsis===
Part One of the story opens in 1997 with Abe Matchcard speaking to the reader while puttering around his home, the old Clyde Fans building in [[Toronto]]. He tells the story of how he and his brother, Simon, watched their family's [[Mechanical fan|electric fan]] company go out of business in the face of the emerging [[air conditioning]] industry, while relating stories of his sales technique and talking about his peculiar brother.<ref name="ACoolBreeze" />

The story then, in Part Two, moves back in time to 1957, and focuses on Simon's attempt at a "real life", despite his "inability to cope" with his role as [[salesman]],<ref name="Q+QMay2004" /> while his more outgoing, natural salesman brother dominates and belittles him.<ref name="Bookslut2004" /> He sets out "on a humiliatingly unsuccessful attempt at opening new sales territory", but is turned down by potential client after potential client due to his introversion and insecure approach. He suffers something of a breakdown, and ends up sitting under a tree in a [[miniature golf]] course he had wandered through.<ref name="ACoolBreeze" />

Part Three moves to 1966, with Simon's career as salesman over, and Abe struggling to keep the business afloat. Eventually, Abe and Simon struggle with having to put their mother in a [[nursing home]]. Simon muses at length on the passage of time.

Part Four opens in 1975. Abe has to make the difficult decision of having to sign papers to close the factory, a decision he blames on [[Strike action|striking]] workers.<ref name="RiseOfHardcoverComic" /> Afterwards, he returns to the Clyde Fans building to tell Simon the news that their business is finished; Simon has become a [[recluse]] and the two brothers rarely speak. They have a tense conversation about their father, who deserted them and their business inexplicably years before. Afterwards, Abe contacts an old lover, Alice, with whom he has an awkward dinner conversation. Finally, Abe decides to return to the Clyde Fans building, to spend the rest of his life there, but his car breaks down at the side of the road.

Part Five returns to Simon sitting beneath the tree at the end of Part Two in 1957. In his reverie, Simon has visions of deserted, decaying [[Ontario]] buildings and landscapes, and concludes that he is meant to live the life of a recluse. He returns to the Clyde Fans building, determined to spend the rest of his days within its walls.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/palookaville-23|title=Palookaville 23|language=en}}</ref>

==Characters==
;Abraham (Abe) Matchcard:A retired fan salesman, who [[Narrator|narrates]] much of the story.<ref name="ReadingComics126" /> A "born salesman", who dominates and continually denigrates his shy, reserved brother Simon.<ref name="Bookslut2004" />
;Simon Matchcard:Abe's shy, introverted brother, who narrates part five. He obsessively collects penny [[postcard]]s. Seth himself is an obsessive collector of comics and pop culture artifacts, while admitting that he often finds such people "hateful", as they are often "greedy, secretive, rude, [and] socially awkward".<ref name="Bookslut2004" />

==Background==
The idea for the Clyde Fans company came from an actual old storefront in [[Toronto]] called Clyde Fans. Seth related, "I used to look into window when I walked by because I'm very attracted to this sort of thing. In the dim light of the office you could see on the back wall two photographs of two men, which were probably the owners. I just assumed they were brothers. Over the next couple of years while working on projects I put together a story of what these guy's lives were about although it probably had nothing to do with the reality of their real lives."<ref name="ACoolBreeze" />

==Style==
The story is drawn in Seth's familiar wobbly, thick-stroked brush cartooning,<ref name="ReadingComics132" /> "deceptively simple and expressive lines, unhurried, exact, and luxurious; shading rich with texture."<ref name="Q+QMay2004" /> As in ''[[It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken]]'', the artwork was done using a two-colour process, with black and white "aerodynamic"<ref name="ACoolBreeze" /> linework accented with grey and blue shading<ref name="PopMattersPalookaville19" /> on beige-coloured paper.<ref name="PW2004" />
The art is reminiscent of 1930s ''[[The New Yorker#Cartoons|New Yorker]]'' [[Gag cartoon|cartoons]], giving the work the look of [[Depression (mood)|melancholic]] [[nostalgia]].<ref name="ACoolBreeze" />

Seth attempted to move away from traditional [[comic book]] [[storytelling]] techniques by slowing down the [[narrative]] and making use of silent panels, "giving a story as much length and breathing space as it needs to be told". He said, "panels that aren't necessary to move the story along but are necessary just to create the right mood for what you're doing."<ref name="ACoolBreeze" />

==Awards==
*(2005) [[Doug Wright Award]] for Best Book<ref name=dwa-pw>{{cite web|title=Past Winners|url=http://www.dougwrightawards.com/past-winners/|publisher=Doug Wright Awards}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Comics|Canada}}
*''[[Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="ReadingComics126">Wolk, page 126</ref>
<ref name="ReadingComics132">Wolk, page 132</ref>
<ref name="Bookslut2004">{{Cite web
 |url          = http://www.bookslut.com/features/2004_06_002650.php
 |title        = An Interview with Seth
 |first        = Bryan
 |last         = Miller
 |publisher    = [[Bookslut]]
 |date         = June 2004
 |accessdate   = 2011-12-26
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20181229171319/http://www.bookslut.com/features/2004_06_002650.php
 |archive-date = 2018-12-29
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>
<ref name="Q+QMay2004">{{Cite web
|url        = http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=3931
|title      = Clyde Fans: Book One by Seth
|first      = David
|last       = Howard
|publisher  = [[Quill & Quire]]
|date       = May 2004
|accessdate = 2011-12-26}}</ref>
<ref name="RiseOfHardcoverComic">{{Cite web
|url        = http://classic.tcj.com/review/xed-out-clyde-fans-the-rise-of-the-hardcover-comic-book/
|title      = X'ed Out, Clyde Fans, & the Rise of the Hardcover Comic Book
|first      = Jared
|last       = Gardner
|publisher  = [[The Comics Journal]]
|date       = 2010-10-24
|accessdate = 2011-12-26}}</ref>
<ref name="PopMattersPalookaville19">{{cite magazine
|url        = http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/palookaville-19/
|title      = Palookaville #19
|first      = William 
|last       = Gatevackes 
|magazine  = Pop Matters
|date       = 2008-05-20
|accessdate = 2011-12-29}}</ref>
<ref name="ACoolBreeze">{{cite magazine
|url        = http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,660285,00.html
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111227120812/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,660285,00.html
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = December 27, 2011
|title      = A Cool Breeze
|first      = Andrew D.
|last       = Arnold
|magazine  = [[Time (magazine)|Time magazine]]
|date       = 2004-06-02
|accessdate = 2011-12-29}}</ref>
<ref name="PW2004">{{cite magazine
|url        = http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-896597-84-3
|title      = CLYDE FANS: Book 1
|magazine  = [[Publishers Weekly]]
|date       = 2004-05-24
|accessdate = 2011-12-30}}</ref>

<!-- end of Reflist -->|colwidth=25em}}

===Works cited===
{{Refbegin}}
*[[Douglas Wolk|Wolk, Douglas]]. ''[[Reading Comics]]: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean''. [[Da Capo Press]], 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-306-81509-6}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111128011904/http://www.drawnandquarterly.com/imagesPreview/a3fe9b94b553b5.pdf Preview] of ''Clyde Fans: Book One'' at the [[Drawn & Quarterly]] website
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120426080558/http://www.comicsgrid.com/2011/04/seths-suspension-of-perception-in-palookaville-19/ "Seth’s Suspension of Perception in Palookaville #19"] by Kathleen Dunley at [http://www.comicsgrid.com The Comics Grid] (April 11, 2011; retrieved 2011-2-12-29)

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[[Category:Canadian graphic novels]]
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[[Category:Doug Wright Award winners for Best Book]]
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[[Category:2020 Canadian novels]]
[[Category:Graphic novels set in Ontario]]
[[Category:Graphic novels set in the 1950s]]
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