Practically everyone has had to suffer through a lousy job in their lifetime; They may not be the most glamorous vocations, but that suffering can be the crucible through which art is forged. For Mimi Pond, that crucible was a greasy spoon of a diner in Oakland in the 1970s, which she catalogs in her breathtaking new graphic novel memoir from Drawn & Quarterly, Over Easy. If you don’t know the name Mimi Pond, you probably should. A lifelong cartoonist and humorist, Pond has an impressive resume including a long-running cartoon in Seventeen Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and five books. Oh, and did I mention she wrote the first full-length episode of The Simpsons, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”? Because she did that, too. Now, with Over Easy, Pond can add graphic novelist to her ever-expanding repertoire.

A whirlwind of sex, drugs, punk rock, and breakfast food, Over Easy will transport you back to a simpler time when hippie culture was fading away, casual sex and drug use were par for the course, and art school was unforgivingly expensive. (Okay, some things never change.) Having spent more than 15 years working on the book, Pond has clearly poured her heart and soul into Over Easy, a labor of love that is filled with oddball characters and wry observations, and offers a tremendously enjoyable view of 1970s California. Over Easy is available today, but we have a special sneak preview of the graphic novel from our friends at Drawn & Quarterly just for you.

Click to expand the thumbnails below.

Over Easy is available today from Drawn & Quarterly. What do you think?