Hurd and Camello have done it again. After tackling the notion of family in the Eisner-nominated My Uncle Jeff, they now reflect on friendship in A Sort of Homecoming. The grounded, universal storytelling is just as strong this time around, but Hurd has taken a different approach. This is a quieter book, one in which Hurd backs off a bit with the scripting and lets Camello's artwork tell the story. Though more ambitious and broader a project than Jeff, Homecoming has a tighter focus on a smaller cast of characters, and it's remarkably easy to recognize oneself in them.
Owen returns home to his apartment to a telephone call that tears apart his life. His best friend, David, is dead, and a piece of Owen dies along with him. Friends, family and his wife try to call Owen, to get him to move, to take action, but he's lost in sadness, regret, grief and memory. He thinks back to when he first met David in elementary school, and how David was always there for every triumph in his life and humiliation... and how he was the cause of some of the latter moments.
Camello really gets to shine with this new project. A diverse array of panel layouts -- some traditional, some not so traditional -- really tell the story well. The transitions to flashbacks and the present are seamless but clearly delineated as well. The artist presents a nice range of age when it comes to the two main characters, and I really liked his take on young kids; that scene in elementary school put me in mind of J. Bone's work on Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures. Camello's style is a slightly cartoony one, but it effectively conveys the dark, grounded drama that unfolds here.
This story is a sullen affair, a story of grief to which just about anyone can -- or will be able to -- relate. But Hurd is careful to include some moments in which the tension is released, dispelled for a short time. The elementary school scene -- one I keep coming back to because it was one of my favorites in the book -- is a heartwarming spotlight on innocence, and there are other moments of humor that bring an important balance to the atmosphere of despair that dominates the issue.
We've all had that friend. Someone who's always been there, someone we love, but someone who is flawed. He or she may be a best friend, but not always a good friend. Hurd taps into that universal experience to create a compelling story. The writer has quickly earned a reputation for down-to-earth, slice-of-life storytelling that resonates with his readers. I can't wait to see how A Sort of Homecoming evolves in the next two chapters, and I'm pleased to see that Hurd is busy crafting new stories for release further down the road.
