Peops: Portraits & Stories of People (Soft Skull) by the Canadian artist Fly is a fabulous exploration of the American underground through comics and stories. Each page displays one of Fly’s drawn portraits, and each portrait is surrounded by stories told by that subject.

Fly also includes a short explanation of who the person is and how she met him or her. The characters include squatters’ rights activists, artists, community gardeners, musicians, zinesters and pre-teen authors. The portraits show people lined and tired but animated by inner strength and the energy to take the road less travelled.

Their stories offer both joy and sorrow, but always the immense value of people who will never be widely celebrated as mainstream success stories.