Painter and cartoonist Tom Neely's first graphic novel, "The Blot," is like a sad song that breaks your heart while reminding you of life's beauty. "The Blot" follows a nameless everyman who, while dealing with the fallout from a doomed relationship, is stalked by a mysterious black splotch. As the story unfolds, this shape-shifting blot appears as a harmless cloud of ink, a faceless demon, a source of strength and an inescapable darkness, testing our character in a new way with each metamorphosis. "The Blot is a meditation on intimacy, creativity and the loss of control over one's environment."- Tom Spurgeon for The Comics Reporter; "The Blot, marks a brilliant, blackly humorous milestone" -Ron Garmon for L.A. City Beat