While the first two Vertigo Pop! limited series incorporation pop-music culture into the plotlines, this one delves into the popular culture of sex, and all of the ugliness that goes along with it. The opening sequence is not an unexpected one, but it immediately draws the reader into the desperate lives of two of the main characters. I really don't know where Vankin is going with the plot yet, but there's a real-world intensity explored here... an extreme and ugly reality that everyone is aware of but most endeavor to ignore or forget.
Tuesday, a rebel without a cause, has a new project: making her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Marshall pay (literally) for fooling around on her. She's arm-twisted him into taking her on vacation in Thailand -- Bangkok, to be precise. Marshall has no idea that Tuesday has an alterior motive in mind, though, but her plans are derailed when they encounter a couple of lecherous Westerners who introduce Marshall to the seedier side of the city. Meanwhile, a former teenage prostitute returns to Bangkok to rescue the friend she had to leave behind a year before.
I enjoyed Camuncoli's artwork on writer Brian K. Vaughan's less popular (and now cancelled) Vertigo title, Swamp Thing. The artist did fine work there, but it's much stronger here, and I expect it's because inker Shawn Martinbrough is bringing a much cleaner look to Camuncoli's pencils. My one qualm with the artwork is that Tuesday's ethnicity isn't clear. There are references to indicate that she's of Asian descent, but it's not readily apparent in her appearance. The colors maintain a mature atmosphere, and I really like the lettering motif that Comicraft has created for these Vertigo Pop! series.
Initially, the vagueness of Tuesday's motives seemed off-putting, but by the end of the issue, I realized that Vankin is developing a suspense story here. How Tuesday's story will intertwine with that of the two teen prostitute friends is a mystery, and I'm definitely curious about how these seemingly different feminist elements will collide.
So far, this book seems to be about how human beings abuse one another in various extremes. The abuse is abundantly clear in the Bangkok sex trade, but there's abuse at play in the Tuesday/Marshall relationship as well. He takes her for granted and cheats, but she's clearly using him and never really felt any real emotional connection with the small-time actor. Vankin explores the ugly side of humanity, and it makes for some strong and intriguing characterization.
