Long Hot Summer is a slive-of-life graphic novel about relationships, both romantic and platonic, and what's most intriguing about it is that there are no heroes or villains in the story. Everyone is a protagonist, everyone is an antagonist. Eric Stephenson's cast of characters is like the cast of Friends but without the schlocky sit-com writers. There's a harshness to the interaction among the characters and the actions they take, but it all rings incredibly true as well. McKelvie's art is a little stiff, but overall, it reinforces the realistic tone of the story quite well.
Among his circle of friends, Steve wears a number of hats. He's the acknowledged coolest one of the bunch, and the best looking. He's also the Nice Guy, the one who puts up with and defends Ken (the Mooch) and doles out the favors, asking nothing in return. Steve hears all about Ken's efforts to woo Ashley, an attractive bookstore clerk, but she and Steve end up catching one another's eye. That connection leads to conflict, and a number of difficult decisions for Steve.
McKelvie's art reminds me of a cross between the style of Steve (Pounded, Mek) Ralston and a more photo-referential approach such as Jeremy (Battle Hymn) Haun's. It's definitely brighter than the latter, though, and that helps to maintain a more grounded, universal tone. I like that McKelvie's character designs are varied enough to be discernible from one another, but he doesn't resort to extreme differences to set apart these friends. As I noted earlier, the figures seem a bit stiff, but the artist seems to have a great eye for anatomy and movement. The backgrounds are a bit sparse, but not so much that the reader doesn't get a strong sense of place most of the time.
Stephenson captures the dynamics of a large circle of friends quite well. We've got got friends like these... the guy no one really likes but no one can bear to reject altogether, the cute couple that's always looking for another couple to hang out with, the nice guy, the blowhards. These people aren't particularly good to one another, but the dysfunction is thoroughly believable. The writer offers a more flawed vision of friendship, and I found it to be a refreshing change of pace.
So is Steve the hero or villain of this story? He's both, and he's neither. We're heroes in some of life's stories and villains in other relationships we have. I found it refreshing that it's Ken, the every-annoying mooch freidn, who ends up standing up for decency, but at the same time, he comes off as such a hypocrite. The characters are likable and relatable but distasteful all at once. The result is that the story and the dynamics therein stay with the reader long after reading the book, giving one some food for thought. That a story sticks with a reader afterward is a sign that it's a job well done. 10/10
