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THE NORM: KEYS #2 - OFFICE
Recommended (7/10)
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Norm.com
Writer/Artist: Michael Jantze
Price: $4.00 US |
Michael Jantze's comic strip doesn't run in any newspaper I've read, and until recently, I didn't even know about his website. And then, a few months back, I saw an ad for The Norm Magazine in Previews. It piqued my curiosity and I ordered myself up a copy. I enjoyed it, and the same holds true for this non-traditional comic the creator sent along for review. The Norm will likely connect with any young professionals out there. It's like Dilbert, only without the surrealism and with better art.
As Norm struggles to set aside his growing feelings for Reine in order to be a good friend to her, he finds himself without a best friend himself, as Ford has married and moved away. He holds auditions for the position. Meanwhile, Reine loses her job and tries to understand what Norm's audience sees in him.
While The Norm Magazine was more like a traditional comic book, this is more like a traditional mini-comic: legal pages folded and stapled, with a photocopied, single-color cover. It still boasts a professional tone, though; this is far from a rinky-dink effort. The title of the book is a bit misleading as well, as these strips delve more into Norm's private life than the shenanigans at the office (though we do visit there).
Jantze's art is simple but effective and expressive. I reminds me more than a little of the work of Chris (Desperate Times) Eliopoulos, not to mention Bill (Calvin & Hobbes) Watterson, Frank (Liberty Meadows) Cho and even Charles (Peanuts) Schultz. More often than not, his work is unstated, not over the top, so it's easy to imagine oneself in the pseudo-reality of Norm's world (Wookie accountants and all).
Let's see... lamenting the loss of a friend to distance, torn between a desire to support a friend and feelings of attraction, and freaking out over taxes. Lord, but it's easy to relate to the title character. Jantze has successfully tapped into the goofiness of the everyday with this slice-of-life strip.
Hmm, I wonder if my paper will be looking for a new daily strip in the future?
This comic was not among this week's new releases.
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