Andi Watson explores the wonder and woes associated with dating, and it makes for a story that just about all of us can relate to. Orbiting this story about relationships -- I wouldn't call it a romance book at this point -- are some goofy and surreal super-hero elements that make for a lot of fun. There are a couple of plot points that don't quite make sense, and they hold this particular issue back from being a standout in the series. Nevertheless, the creator has achieved an excellent balance among the various plotlines here, and the emphasis is sqaurely on the grounded qualities of the title.
Guthrie, the talking cat that now flies over New York as one of its many caped protectors, plays Iago to Jack's Othello, planting the seeds of jealousy and distrust in his mind in an attempt to turn him against his new belle, Nora. Meanwhile, Nora is irked to discover that her editor robbed her of credit for her cover story on the Flamer's apparent dark secret. The story also attracts the attention of someone who wants to meet with Nora in secret, claiming to have more information for her.
Watson continues to pack a lot of storytelling on each and every page. These days, it seems the norm for a mainstream comic page is four to six panels, but Watson's simple style allows him to more than 10 per page most of the time. The layouts never look cramped either, and the approach brings a quick pace to the story. I was also surprised at how well Watson's simple style conveys the energy and menace of super-powers in a key scene. I think my favorite visual elements, though, are the representations of Jack's emotions... his paranoia, jealousy and sadness.
At one point in this book, Nora complains she didn't get credit for the story. "No photo of me, nothing," she says. But at the end of the book, a credit turns up... a credit with photo at that. It's a distracting little glitch. One could argue I'm nitpicking, but the inconsistency took me out of the story. (I've been told that Nora's minor threat to her editor gets her the photo credit she desires right away, but the timing of it still doesn't work for me. I still think there's a clarity issue, but again, it's not major problem, but it did serve as a distraction for this particular reader.)
As much as I appreciate the grounded and honest take on Jack and Nora's developing relationship, my favorite -- absolutely favorite -- element in this book now is the embittered Future Feline, AKA Guthrie. And it's not because he's a talking, super-powered cat (wouldn't the talking count as a power in a cat's case?). He plays the part of hero in his mask and cape, but his manipulation of Jack and apparent disdain for Nora -- who's monopolizing Jack's time and thoughts, in his eyes -- casts him in the role of antagonist. He's such a little shit that I just love to hate him.
