Relationships are tricky. What starts of as fun and lustful can turn into disillusionment and closure, leaving behind what exactly? In this case, we get to see the start and the after effects of a relationship, between what appears to be two soul mates. The book is structured like a flip book. with one side seeing the world through Natalie’s eyes and the other side Garan’s point of view. In this case love, like truth, lies somewhere in between.
Natalie’s story is written by Mario Candelaria, joining Natalie during a train station encounter with her ex. Through Natalie we see their relationship, the ups and the downs. The course of true love not running straight means that the downs are quite big in this instance. But time seems to have diluted the pain and rose-tinted glasses brings back the euphoria of the relationship at its high point. Age has given Natalie the opportunity to realize some hard truths, before Garan still manages to inspire her.
Art is provided by a duo of artists, David Ganjamie providing the present with Ashley St. Lawrence giving us an insight into what went before. The two are very similar stylistically, which can make the slide between times a little confusing at first.  Lawrence may have the passion of the early days which is its own fun, but Ganjamie provides the heart and the soul of the story.
Flipping the book over, the reader is presented with Garan’s take on the situation. Mario Candelaria, the chief architect of the whole piece, fills in the gaps of Natalie’s story with the same actions being seen in a different light. Time has been good for Garan professionally, but when seeing Natalie, it’s clear that he hasn’t moved on emotionally, with the quiet desperation of wanting to prolong the conversation with his love lost. Candelaria writes both protagonists with their own voices, despite the pair having the same feelings, both scared of them and what giving in to them mean.
For the second part (depending on which side you flipped to first), Ganjamie again shows us the present day, showing some real storytelling flair in keeping the already seen panels and beats of the story fresh and interesting. The past sequences are by Nathan Schreiber who goes for a manga feel. The change is quite glaring and at first kind of distracts from the emotion of the story. But stick with it; where Natalie’s past recollections are about the love of their fledgling relationships, Garan’s past is about the passion. As with the first part, there is inspiration to be found.
This book was joy to read. Everyone who has ever been in love and thought they had found their soul mate, only for life to get in the way, should pretty much see something of themselves in either part of this tale. Yes relationships are tricky, but with time you can look back and still let those who are gone serve to still drive you forward, which may be one the greatest gifts of having loved and lost.
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer:Â Mario Candelaria
Art: David Ganjamie, Nathan Schreiber
Edits by:Â Heather Antos
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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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