An emotionally layered, illustrative path to self-discovery
A coming-of-art tale set during a long and emotionally complex summer vacation, Christopher Stanton’s semi-autobiographical Nick Pope: Summer of ‘88 shines a light on the trials and tribulations of an American teen during the late 1980s. Nostalgic but clear sighted, the graphic novel explores the often turbulent path to self-discovery.
Engagingly presented as a volume of the illustrated diary of the eponymous Nick Pope, Summer of ‘88 continues the intimate recounting of the teen’s varied rites of passage that began in Nick Pope (2023), albeit with Raymond Klecker taking over illustration duties from the late Christopher Darling.
The sequel revisits Stanton’s sensitive, artistically inclined protagonist at a pivotal moment: the summer after his sophomore year of high school, when Nick’s private creative world begins to edge into public view. The result is a reflective narrative that explores art, vulnerability, sexuality, and the fragile exhilaration of being seen.
It’s June of 1988 and Nick has finally finished the 10th grade. It has been a difficult school year that saw him face the death of a close friend and the associated need for a therapist. “The pills he prescribed made me feel better sometimes but mostly I felt like melted vanilla ice cream. Plain and melted and not much of anything.”
Born with prominent birthmarks around both eyes that everyone—particularly his schoolmates—feels the need to comment on, Nick has a lot to put up with in life. Still, he decides to cope by returning to diarizing his thoughts and ideas rather than taking his pills. “I decided to try this diary thing again. It really helped me the first time.”
In-between shifts at the Wallflower, a one-screen movie theater owned by his father, and assorted family dramas, Nick spends time with his best friend Sharita and her baby daughter Monique “(Sharita has never told me who the father is, and I have never asked.).” He also reconnects with a couple guys from a mural project he worked on the previous year.
One of them, Don, owns a gallery downtown and suggests that Nick exhibit there. “Your work,” he said. “Drawings. Paintings. Whatever you’ve got. I think people will be really interested in them.” While his immediate response is to decline, after a bit of persuasion from Sharita and Don, Nick agrees to show a series of self-portraits.
“I thought of drawings of my face hanging in that back room. Then I imagined what people would think. What they’d say.” But his facial difference isn’t the only issue of appearance that Nick has to confront over the course of the summer. In fact, events during the vacation force him to look deeply into several facets of his life.
Stanton’s choice of a diary format for Summer of ’88 lends immediacy and impact to Nick’s experiences of the transformative months after sophomore year. In particular, his first show—and the fact that he chooses to exhibit self-portraits—reflects both literal progression in his creative journey and a metaphorical step toward self-acceptance and maturity.
Nick’s daily diary entries are entertaining and insightful, even when he doesn’t really intend them to be, which means that his comments elucidate his inner life just as much as his outward experiences. He writes in a somewhat naïve and deadpan style, and he is generally honest in what he relates.
For instance, when describing how his sister, April, has decided to drop out of college and work on the Dukakis campaign, he offers the following pen portrait of the would-be president: “Michael Dukakis is running for President of the United States. He is a Democrat with thick eyebrows and he cares about working class people.”
Nick’s no Adrian Mole or Charles Pooter, but he’s not far off. He has an eye for the absurd and manages to relate seemingly mundane events in a detached and very humorous way. “I went three years ago and saw two homeless people having sex under a bridge, and the actress Beverly D’Angelo eating some kettle corn.” That’s quite the non sequitur.
In keeping with the fact that it focuses on Nick’s life outside of school, Summer of ’88 also expands his world from classroom concerns to confront adult-adjacent challenges: the pressures of artistic success, more complex interpersonal relationships, and evolving understandings of sexuality and family dynamics.
This narrative shift is significant. It transforms Nick from a chronicler of adolescence into a young artist trying to shape his own path, and it also positions the book within a broader genre often seen in graphic memoirs: the young creator learning to tell his own story beyond the confines of others’ perceptions.
Nick’s personal story is steeped in the late 1980s zeitgeist and cultural references—not as mere window-dressing but as cultural texture that shapes his consciousness. From classic arcade games to cheesy horror movies to key pop culture moments, these details locate events in a specific time and place.
These touches work in service of deeper themes concerning youth, identity, and belonging. For example, the late-1980s saw increasing visibility of LGBTQ+ people in the media and public discussion, alongside political tension and the early days of the AIDS crisis, all pressures on young people in search of identity and community.
By presenting Nick’s thoughts on such matters as handwritten diary entries accompanied by expressive artwork, Stanton fosters a deeply personal tone that feels unfiltered and authentic. He neatly captures Nick’s use of art as both shield and confession, meaning that public recognition feels almost dangerous.
Indeed, Nick’s diary entries oscillate between pride and self-doubt. He longs to be validated as an artist but fears the vulnerability that validation requires. The question of whether he can draw honest self-portraits becomes a metaphor for self-acceptance. Can he depict himself truthfully, warts and all? Can he acknowledge the parts of his identity he has kept hidden?
Running parallel to Nick’s artistic growth is his tentative emotional awakening. His connection with fellow artist Max allows a subtle but meaningful exploration of queerness and first love. Rather than sensationalizing the relationship, Stanton treats it with tenderness and restraint. Nick’s feelings unfold gradually, revealing confusion, hope, and fear.
Raymond Klecker’s illustrations play a crucial role in sustaining Summer of ’88’s emotional intimacy. The diary format allows the text and images to blur together, with the sketches becoming extensions of thought rather than decorative additions. The artwork often feels spontaneous, as though pulled directly from Nick’s imagination in the moment. Klecker’s style is loose and expressive, capturing fleeting emotions that words alone might not convey. When Nick is anxious, the drawings seem cramped or frenetic. When he feels hopeful, they open up, offering breathing space. This interplay between written reflection and visual expression deepens understanding of Nick’s inner world.
Ultimately, Nick’s summer feels transformative not because everything is neatly resolved but because he shifts internally. He takes steps—however tentative—toward integrating his artistic and personal selves. The gallery show may mark a professional milestone, but the more profound achievement lies in his growing willingness to be seen.
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