Ben Katchor’s characters roam a waking dream world set in New York circa the 1830s. The atmosphere is realistic and fantastic, concrete and absurd. Plans to carbonate all of Lake Erie for bottling purposes seem to make perfect sense, as do newspaper ads decrying the evils of onanism and menus that feature “Oarlock Soup” and “Bullock Heart Stuffed with Veal Forcemeat.” You don’t see the two embossed characters on the front right away—they enter your subconscious first, as does this winsome, enigmatic story.