Tricked.

After garnering critical acclaim and industry recognition for Box Office Poison (2001), Alex Robinson released the structurally complex Tricked in 2005. The graphic novel took four years to complete. After abandoning two variations on themes presented in Tricked, Robinson connected loose narrative strands to knit a tapestry of interwoven stories. Robinson’s publisher, Top Shelf Comics, decided to release Tricked in one volume instead of serializing it in order to create an “event” around its release. Robinson has commented that the characters Ray and Steve represent two sides of his own personality and that the most challenging character to create was Nick because of the character’s inability to empathize with other humans.