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Snap Judgments - Reviews for July 2006
by Randy Lander
 If you're like me, you've heard the names Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba kicking around the comics industry, on projects like AIT/Planet Lar's Smoke and Guns or Image's Casanova. If you've seen anything the two twin brothers from Brazil have done, you know they've got talent. But even as an admirer, I was surprised to see them get what is essentially an artist showcase book from Dark Horse Comics. After reading De:Tales, though, it's clear why Dark Horse would choose to give these relatively new artists such a high profile showcase. De:Tales is a book full of romance, magic, imagination and beautiful, stunning artwork. Whether you just want an early look at two future superstars of the medium or if you're just interested in seeing perfect little short stories full of real-life stuff like romance and friendship tinged with magical elements like ghosts and alternate realities, definitely give De:Tales a look.
In her introduction, editor Diana Schutz talks about how she has a hard time telling twins Moon and Ba apart in person, and that duality of identity continues into their artwork. If you look closely, you can spot the stylistic differences - Gabriel Ba has a slightly more fluid line and tendency toward background detail reminiscent of Paul Pope or Craig Thompson, where Fabio Moon puts a lot of emphasis on shadows and light and has a more angular style like that of Eduardo Risso - but really, their art styles are a perfect complement to one another, so similar that it would be easy to mistake one for the other. In fact, if pressed, I'm not sure I could tell you which brother drew which story, a task made more difficult by the fact that they collaborated on some (if not all) of them. Whether you can pinpoint the artist on each story or not, however, the primary fact remains: The work is always gorgeous to behold.
The stories in De:Tales have a commonality of theme and substance, being about the nature of real life relationships, with a special focus on love and friendship. Within these pages are the story of first meetings with new loves, potential meetings squandered by circumstance and promising dates seemingly ruined by other circumstance. There are also tales of visiting a new bar with an old friend, being accosted by a gang in Paris and a terrific ensemble piece that looks at a Saturday through the eyes of a number of different characters. This all sounds like fairly real-life stuff, but Ba and Moon have a touch that makes it all a bit magical. In several of the tales, actual magical elements are present. The old friend? He's a ghost of someone who died. The potential meetings take place in alternate universes, such as one in which alternate versions of the lead characters chide him for his cowardice or talk about how they lacked even the courage he had to get this far. In another, a girl teases the boy she spends the day with that he was already too late to fall in love with her when they met.
Ba and Moon spell out the nature of these stories in the very first story, where the two of them share a dream and are encouraged by a grumpy bird to tell their tales, only to find themselves back in the real world, grinning at each other about the potential storytelling over the breakfast table. So much is encapsulated in this six-page opener, from the worry of saying something original to where Brazil enters into their influences to the simple joy of collaboration, and much of it comes in simple, silent expressive panels. The basic nature of their storytelling is that it draws from their cultural roots, their own desires on subject matter and the desire to do something that is different but true to their own experiences. What they have created is a world that is recognizable, with one-night stands, lost friendships, Saturday afternoon barbeques and dates at the art museum, but full of serendipity, like a sudden invitation to a fashion show or meeting just the right girl at a bar, and magic, like the weirdness of meeting yourself three times in a bar bathroom.
While Ba and Moon don't shy away from the harshness of the world, from losing friends to worrying about deadlines to the minor despair that can come after a drunken one-night stand, the overall outlook of De:Tales is optimistic. There are lost loves and missed opportunities, but when those connections between people are made, they're special. Ba and Moon linger on things like a first kiss, or watching the stars, or even the simple joys of drinking and talking with friends, drawing them out and splitting what could easily be one panel into several panels, lingering in time on a touch, the brushing of lips against one another or eyes meeting, giving way to shared smiles.
De:Tales is a glimpse into the minds and hearts of its artists, and now that I've seen the world that Ba and Moon have to offer, I can't wait to visit it again.
 You know what's cool? When a book that you remember being good comes out and it's not just as good as you remember... it's better.
As a fan of indy comic books, I'm depressingly used to books I love disappearing without a trace, leaving stories unfinished. I just kind of assumed Grease Monkey would be another one of those, an Image book I picked up in the late '90s and really liked, until it ended only two issues in. Then, over five years later, from out of the blue, Tim Eldred's young adult science fiction saga turned up in Previews, and in a big 'ol complete hardcover graphic novel from Tor Books to boot. And, as it turns out, my memories haven't betrayed me at all. Grease Monkey has a lot of heart, a lot of imagination and plenty of humor as well. The book cover features praise from everyone from Kurt Busiek to Will Eisner, and it's well-deserved. We don't see a lot of all-ages science-fiction in comics these days, and we really don't see a lot that's so good I find myself wanting to immediately read the promised sequel.
Grease Monkey is the story of the best squadron of fighter pilots on board the flagship of the fleet, the Fist of Earth. Been done, right? Except that this squadron is made up entirely of women, and the story isn't really focused on them anyway. Instead, it's focused on their newest assistant mechanic, a young man named Robin Plotnik, and their chief mechanic, an evolved gorilla named "Mac" Gimbensky. And while there is an enemy lurking out there in space, the combat exercises are pretty much training fights between different fighter squadrons, which are often bet upon by less-than-savory characters in a wagering lounge onboard. Oh, and a lot of the story is about a burgeoning romance between Robin and a young librarian and a more full-flowering romance between Gimbensky and the Admiral of the ship, who happens to also be an evolved gorilla.
Starting to sound a little bit different, now, isn't it? Grease Monkey is science-fiction, but it owes just as much of a debt to situation comedies and romantic comedies in its execution. Mac and Robin get involved in various capers, tormenting the stiff members of the bureaucracy or the dumb jock mentality of some of the other fighters and mechanics, and the road to romance for both leads is full of potholes, including a rival for the affections of the object of Robin's affection and a run-in with conflicting cold medicines for Mac. Robin's relationship is also fairly unconventional in where it ends up, which was a nice surprise.
Which is not to say that Grease Monkey lacks in the imagination that makes science-fiction interesting. The entire premise, about an alien invasion that wiped out 60% of Earth's population and the alien benefactors who helped Earth recover, is fascinating. From reading Eldred's afterword, it seems pretty clear that the reason Mac is a gorilla is because the author likes gorillas, but he did a good job of fitting it logically into his story. In fact, there are a couple of really good flashback stories that show what happened to give the gorillas this nudge up the evolutionary ladder, and why the dolphins weren't given the gift instead.
Nor is the book short on action, as there is a ton of great action in the form of the occasional space combat sequences. There's never really a sense of physical danger, because everything is a training mission, but because the Barbarian Squadron (Robin and Mac's squad) is shown to place such a premium on their reputation, any danger that they might lose a fight still carries with it some nice tension. This is an interesting element for an all-ages book. There's plenty of action and shooting and that kind of thing, but very little danger of death that might make some parents squeamish. Eldred provides any number of "threats" to the characters in the form of workplace trouble, romantic difficulties and various problem-solving challenges, so there's always tension enough to keep you turning pages, but there's never that pall that is cast over much of today's comics by the feeling that characters have to suffer grievously to be interesting. They can suffer without maimings, death and other nasty shock tactics, as Eldred proves here.
While Grease Monkey is a saga, one big story that spreads from the beginning of the graphic novel all the way to the last page, it's story structure is also a serial. Each installment works on its own terms, and Eldred has an economy of storytelling more akin to the writers of the '70s and '80s than the modern comic-book style. Each installment has a beginning, middle and end of its own, and even the occasional running subplot, like the elections or the romance between Mac and the Admiral, is given all the context it needs in every chapter. It's more like Friends than Lost in that respect... there's a mythology and a bigger story, but every episode stands on its own as entertainment without needing to worry about the larger skein.
That does mean that Grease Monkey can tend to read a bit light. While Eldred's book is distinctively all ages (as opposed to "for kids"), there are occasional moments that make it seem a little bit goofy. Eldred's choice of names can often be a little corny, from his oddly named lead (Robin Plotnik?) to outright groaners like naming the mean boss Ms. Ann Thrope (get it?), Grease Monkey has a sophistication about adult relationships and a mature storytelling style, but there are occasional lapses that come across as a bit kiddie-fied. Most of the time, though, it's easy to shrug off as part of the innocent charm that the book holds.
In terms of art, as with the writing, Grease Monkey has one foot firmly in the old school. The art recalls the work of Wally Wood, full of imagination and wonder, a little bit cartoony but mostly grounded in realism. Eldred is really terrific at creating distinctive, emotive faces for his characters, and he does an excellent job with the small emotional beats that play across characters' faces as well as the larger, more exaggerated expressions often used for slapstick humor value. Eldred also has a wonderful sense of design, seen most clearly in his design for the sleek-looking starships that the squadrons battle it out with. The space battle sequences aren't as common as the human (and gorilla) interaction on board the station, but they're impressive to behold when they do happen.
This saga, a mixture of world-building and character development, is packaged beautifully. Kurt Busiek offers an introduction that not only puts his stamp of approval on the whole thing but gives a historical context for how it came about, something that Tim Eldred covers in more detail in his afterword. There are occasional extras, like the design schematics for the fighters or the Fist of Earth, and the whole thing wraps with "liner notes" for each story from Eldred. It's a nice package, and a story worthy of such deluxe treatment. If you grew up on the science-fiction of Heinlein (especially his Young Adult work like Have Space Suit, Will Travel), or you have a fondness for more thoughtful, human science-fiction (as opposed to the blockbuster action that tends to pass for sci-fi these days), give Grease Monkey a try. You won't be disappointed.
You can find interviews and art previews, including the first two full chapters of the book, at Tim Eldred's website.
Email Randy Lander comments about this column, or visit his MySpace profile/blog.
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