With its tortured perspective, gritty realism, and outlandish urban humor, Derf's THE CITY has kept an outsider's bead on current events, trends and out-there aspects of contemporary culture since 1990. Its strangely beautiful, grotesque style is put in service of a sharp eye that focuses on telling detail. Whether depicting the coarse insanity of modern urban life or the ultra-clean realm of the feature's only recurring character -- White Middle Class Suburban Man -- Derf uses dissonant humor to speak up for what he calls "the common schlub." THE CITY appears in over 60 alternative papers. Derf's two book-length works, "Trashed" and "My Friend Dahmer," have both been nominated for Eisner Awards.
