I just read the first volume of local comics creator Dylan Meconis' impressively idiosyncratic Family Man—a comic about, loosely, an 18th century German theologian who leaves his family to take a job in academia—academia in this case being a tiny, underfunded Moravian university with a damn impressive library. Protagonist Luther Levy wrote his dissertation on Spinoza and shares that philosopher's muddled religious background: Levy's father is a lapsed Jew, his mother a Christian, and he himself might be a bit of an atheist. Family Man is unabashedly cerebral without being too wordy; extensive end notes provide a ton of historical context, in case the reader isn't up on the difference between Calvinists and Lutherans. The book's sepia-toned visuals are most notable for Meconis' unpredictable panel layout, which all but drag the reader into her historical setting. All told, it's refreshing to see a young creator obsessively investigating something other than her own personal life. (I've been struggling through some diary comics, recently.)

The whole thing is serialized online here; or you can join Meconis at Floating World tonight for the release party, where she'll presumably be signing copies of the self-published volume, and answering any questions about Enlightment-era philosophers you may have.