Sean McKeever may be about to make a splash with Sentinel, but he's also Looking At The Front Door.
Randy:
The big news of last week was Marvel's "Tsunami," and Sean McKeever was amongst the writers for the new projects. While McKeever is long overdue for stardom at the big two, however, he made his start in the small press, and seems intent on keeping at least one toe in those waters, if Looking At The Front Door is any indication.
Don:
McKeever sent along copies of this mini-comic for review. Randy and I are having great luck when it comes to mini-comics lately. First, Me and Edith Head blew us away, and then My Uncle Jeff. And now we have another slice-of-life story that hooks the reader with the universal emotions into which it delves.
Looking At The Front Door
written by Sean McKeever
illustrated by Tom Williams
Don:
Jimmy sits in his apartment -- actually, his girlfriend's apartment, which they share -- and he watches TV blankly. In fact, he seems to do everything blankly... work, drinks with the guys... everything. Jimmy should be happy. He's with a woman that makes every one of his guy friends jealous to the Nth degree. He's got the woman that everyone else thinks is unattainable, but what Jimmy can't seem to attain is happiness.
Randy:
McKeever made his first entry into comics with a slice-of-life book about relationships that was the epitome of a "warts and all" approach, and Looking At The Front Door is done in that same vein. It's a romance book in the same way Ennis's War Stories are books about peacetime, examining the worst so that we can better appreciate the best. It's about a thoroughly messed up relationship where neither partner is entirely happy, but there's enough memory of when the relationship was good that it can't just end as it probably should.
Don:
Be careful what you wish for... you may get it. If anything, this book is about the dangers of going after what others think will make us happy, and about rebelling against expectations and the easy road in order to say what needs to be said, to do what needs to be done. It's about relationships and how easily that can devolve into an entity of routine rather than love. It's about taking oneself for granted.
Randy:
Make no mistake, this is something of a dark book. While it's not dark in the sense that it contains violence or deep tragedy, it's a reflection of some truly unhappy people, and McKeever doesn't have any pat answers to offer up for them. In fact, the story doesn't end so much as the book does, as we're basically getting a glimpse of these peoples' lives, starting in the middle and ending in the middle. I had some mild frustration from that, wanting to see more of this relationship, where it came from and where it went, but the whole point of the book is about the frustration of the lead character, and McKeever shares that with the reader.
The artwork on the book is by a name that is new to me, Tom Williams, and I liked it a lot as well. Williams' does stylized anatomy and forms that reminds me of both David Yurkovich and Scott Morse, and that unusual approach actually suited this down-to-earth story very well. The blandness of Jimmy's expressions says a lot about his character, just as the seductive form and expressions of the new girl in the office speak volumes as well.
Don:
I saw a Scott Morse influence in the artwork here as well, and at times, it reminded me of the style of a similarly named artist: Kent (Blood: A Tale) Williams. I particularly enjoyed Tom Williams's use of grey tones to add a lot of depth to the visuals, and at the same time, the presence of greys-upon-greys added to the melancholy atmosphere of the story.
I also have to point out that McKeever bucks the trend of the low-cost of the mini-comic. That may be one of the advantages of the form, but he's packaged this quick comic story within a slick, full-color cover that gives it a greater sense of permanence. And Williams's inside-cover design work adds to that professional yet edgy tone in the production value.
Randy:
Looking At The Front Door is a sampler of talent as much as it is a story, and it's enjoyable for being a look at two strong creative voices, but it's also an intriguing look at a very real couple, and though the story stands alone, I'd love to see more of it.
For more information about or to order Looking At The Front Door, visit
