Every now and again, something comes along that just catches your breath; something that you are unable to put down; something that somehow captures emotions perfectly and makes you glad that comics don’t have to be all capes and spandex.
The story is quite simple in its own way. Boy meets girl, is a jerk, gets a second chance and everything else goes from there. What makes the book so good is that is filled with the true key moments of any relationship. Sure the context might be different for you or for me, but the emotions on show are perfect and our cast of almost two play their lives out for our entertainment so well.
Lady Killer duo Jamie S. Rich and Joelle Jones are back, Rich on word and Jones on art duties. I am a big fan of their previous work and this book just goes to show how strong this collaboration is. Rich takes a tapestry approach, with a song title as means of introduction, which make the reader think about the past, present, future elements, giving Rich some breathing room in, if played in a straight line, is after all a boy-meets girl story. Instead we are treated to jumps back and forth, with each jump adding more credence and emotion to the facts as they are either presented to us or at least alluded to. The script sparkles from page one all the way through without one single mis-step.
Joelle Jones’ art is both spectacular and simple. It’s this simplicity of style that allows the characters to come to life.  Each panel shows the awkwardness that is love, through the characters interactions with each other. This is quite a departure from the 50’s action feel of Lady Killer, but it’s more effective, more affecting in this frame-work. The book is black and white meaning that Jones is responsible for the inks, which in turn become an even more important piece of the puzzle as the heavy blacks help create the moods that this couple have to endure. Some of the heavy lines can give this book a cartoony feel, but that only helps create a warmth for both of the characters throughout the book.
This is a great example of storytelling, full of twist and turns, married to some fantastic art, proving that this book is one of the possible 12 reasons why I love comic books.
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
STORY BYÂ Jamie S. Rich
ART BYÂ Joelle Jones
COVER BYÂ Hilary Thompson
PUBLISHERÂ Oni Press
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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