Michael DeForge is either ambidextrous, or has a hulking machine of a drawing arm. I can see it now, producing multiple pages a day, and looking something like this:

Yeah. Heavy is the arm that wears the crown. Should have drawn a crown on there.

DeForge is one of the most prolific creators in the industry today. I count something like 17 projects from 2012 alone! His latest work, Lose #5, comes hot on the heels of a much larger short story collection, Very Casual, also released by Koyama Press.

The Lose series is a great look into the imagination of an amazing talent. There is no continuity between issues, just short stories and shorter stories; vignettes of a grander plot, a universe even, spilling from the mind of their creator.

The main storyline in this installment, “Living Outdoors,” is simply phenomenal. I can’t get enough of stories about TEENS.

GIVE ME MORE TEENS.

Teens learning about real life. Teens experimenting. I’m so into it.

The panels are lush with flora and fauna, rendered in DeForge’s signature style. Even at this stage in his comics career, he manages to make everything look so easy. The character designs are interesting and yet deceptively simple. The backgrounds are intricate but belie the effort that must have gone into them. This is a colossal showcase of talent from a comic professional who is a mere 25 years old.

When it comes down to it, Lose #5 contains some of DeForge’s best work to date. There was a period of time when I thought his star might not be able to rise any higher, that he couldn’t possibly get any better, but this latest work has proven me shamefully wrong. May he continue in this pattern of putting out great work only to eclipse his own genius the year after. Michael DeForge, I salute you.