Randy and Don try to understand a guy named Charles as he fails to understand women in Misa.
Don:
To paraphrase the oh-so-wise George Costanza, I know less about women than anybody in the world, and that's a notion that creator Tom Williams explores in an unusual black-and-white book that can only be described as an oversized mini-comic.
Randy:
That's a pretty good description, actually. Williams is clearly a vet of the mini-comic/online comic world, but Misa is my first exposure to his work. I very much doubt it will be my last.
Misa
written and illustrated by Tom Williams
published by Inkblotfarm Studio
Don:
Charles has had brief dalliances with romance in the past -- basically, brief sexual encounters, two ships passing and all that -- but he finds himself immersed in a serious, long-term relationship with Anna. The problem is that he doesn't really know her, and she doesn't seem to know him... or care to know him. Being together is easier than not being together. The relationship is marked by Charles's confusion, as is the aftermath of the inevitable breakup.
At its foundation, Misa has something to offer just about any male reader. The behavior of the female individual is baffling to us at the best of times, and Williams taps into that universal male cluelessness. For those who have allowed their own lack of self-esteem and timidity to block the way to the object of their desires, this script will resonate even more. Ultimately, this isn't about Charles's inability to relate to women, but his inability to enjoy himself and his own life.
Randy:
It's always tough to review a semi-autobiographical comic, because I worry that I'm crossing the line into personal insults without meaning to. That said, Charles does seem like a character who is a bit willingly depressed and pessimistic, doesn't he? We never really get a sense of the highlights of the relationship, instead seeing them through Charles's worldview, which is full of self-doubt and insecurity, and so the feeling isn't "look at this relationship, how did it go wrong?" to "look at this relationship, when will it inevitably go wrong?" While this makes for a somewhat downbeat story, however, it is certainly an interesting and very believable viewpoint. Certainly most of us (male or female) have been in this sort of place in a relationship... and if any of you haven't, well, I hate you.
Kidding!
Don:
Williams takes a fractured approach to the storytelling here. We're floating in and out of the main character's memories, and it seems clear that the intent is to recreate the disjointed quality of human memory. Williams achieves that goal, creating a rather unsettling and depressing atmosphere in the process. The problem is that he also offers up a story that's a bit difficult to follow. The shifts from one event to another are jarring and not clearly delineated at all. It's a challenging approach, sure, but ultimately, it distances the reader from the story and characters.
Randy:
We're in agreement here, but as you note, this is a deliberate choice and not necessarily a failing on Williams's part. The narration in the story is actually a letter being sent to a friend, and so it sort of rambles, and the storytelling is definitely more based on emotional structure than logical structure. You're right about it being distancing, as well, which is surprising given how intimately the story invites the reader into Charles's thoughts.
Don:
Williams's style reinforces the rather unfortunate and even pathetic tone of the script. His work here puts one in mind of the styles of such artists as Kent (Blood: A Tale), Paul (100%) Pope, Dean (Lucifer) Ormston and Eddie (From Hell) Campbell. Tom Williams captures an awkward and fragile humanity in the characters here, and his use of greytones bring a key depth to the visuals.
Randy:
The Pope influence is the one that stuck out the most obviously to me, but I'd add a couple of smaller-press names to your list, those of David (The Broccoli Agenda) Yurkovich and Daniel (One Plus One) Krall. At any rate, I loved the artwork, and I'm especially impressed that Williams gives the story a sense of place with well-fleshed-out backgrounds as well as doing such expressive work with the characters.
For more information about Tom Williams, visit
