Take one part soap opera, one part Silver Age super-heroics and one part slice-of-life storytelling, mix well in a black-and-white blender, and what you get is another solidly entertaining and well-balanced issue of Andi Watson's Love Fights. Early promotional material and the title itself leads the reader to believe this is a romance comic, but I see it as being about life in general. Even with the super-hero elements, there's an air of everyday plausibility to the storytelling here. Watson offers up genuine characters and circumstances, and he makes them special with ingenuity in his approach to costumed champions.
Having given up on his potential relationship with Nora, Jack immerses himself in the mystery of who could possibly be setting up the Flamer. Jack and Nora have similar reasons for their interest in the Flamer's good (or not so good) name. As the penciller on The Flamer comic book, Jack's job relies on his subject's image. And with her editor breathing down her neck for a followup on her Flamer story, Nora's job is on the line as well. Despite their common mission, Nora's found a strong ally in the Fader, and a potential new suitor as well. Meanwhile, Jack is growing more concerned about his cat's activities as the Future Feline... and about the cat's possible interference in his life.
The simplicity of Andi Watson's art always seems to be an asset and never holds him back. His linework may be more of a minimalist style, but he incorporates other methods -- such as a strong eye for perspective -- to reinforce a sense of realism in his storytelling. The characters all move smoothly and plausibly, and the basic quality of the character designs make it easy for the reader to project himself or herself into Jack and Nora's world. The grey tones are a key element in Watson's art here. He uses them to great effect, and not just one. They convey depth in the settings as well as the characters' moods as well.
In some ways, the storytelling approach here reminds of stuff we'd see in Marvel comics in the 1960s and '70s. Creators would often project themselves or their efforts into the heroes' world. The Fantastic Four's dealings with their comic-book licensing comes to mind. I got the same sort of feeling here while reading this story, but this time around, the creator in question is just as fictional the caped figure he's been tasked to bring to life in two dimensions.
I find I connect more with Jack and Nora in terms of the subplots that focus on their professional lives, rather than the wilting romance from which the series derives its title. I also love Watson's use of the super-hero as a means to demonstrate that institutions that are revered in our society need to be challenged, questioned and seen to be just as flawed as the rest of us. At the same time, though, Watson has hinted a numbers-hungry media -- embodied by Nora's editor -- can go too far while losing sight of the reason it peels back the layers on public figures.
