These early works (late 70's and early 80's) from Rick Geary are small gems, and while thematically similar to his better-known Treasury of Victorian Murder series, there is a sly charm to these pieces that makes them highly worthwhile in their own right. Geary has a unique sense of pacing and exposition, often dropping the reader into the middle of a narrative flow and building towards his dénouement with a series of snapshots. There is significant artistry in making such an "incomplete" narrative resolve itself gracefully, often in as few as nine panels of Geary's highly distinctive and beautifully non-linear penmanship. Rick Geary is truly a one-of-a-kind artist, and this volume contains some of his best work - "Communal Life" itself is an exquisite piece of work, and brilliantly captures the poetry and melancholy that is Geary's unique artistic gift. ( )