One Plus One lies somewhere between a slice-of-life story and The Twilight Zone, and it's a fascinating place to visit. Shaffer's dialogue brings some well realized and interesting characters to life, and Krall's artwork brings out the melancholy atmopshere with seeming ease. Together, these creators have fashioned an unusual and quietly challenging read.
Eddie is a gambler, plying his trade with seemingly unerring skill at a local underground game. Celeste is a waitress who's just learned some distressing news. And together, they are a couple, struggling to get by as so many couples do. Eddie decides the time has come for one, final, big win at the poker table, but that's when he encounters the mysterious David Coulson. Eddie realizes there's something unusual about David, and an odd sense of kinship overcomes him.
Krall's art strikes me as being a cross between the styles of Mike (X-Statix) Allred and Paul (100%) Pope, and that's not too shabby a comparison. There's a simplicity in Krall's style that nevertheless elicits a strong sense of realism. And his characters' thin, unhappy eyes really go a long way to communicate the dark, downtrodden atmosphere of the story.
The tone of the supernatural is not nearly as prominent in this second issue as it was in the first, and as a result, it seems even more unsettling. The reader keeps waiting for a ghostly shoe to drop, and it never comes, keeping one just a little bit on edge throughout.
Ultimately, though, it's the characters themselves that represent the most fascinating aspect of the book. It's easy to relate to Celeste, who feels neglected by her boyfriend and by life. And it's easy to relate to Eddie, who feels overwhelmed, not just by the impending change in his life but by his unexplained gift. David's a different matter. He's an enigma, but his humanity come through, despite his quiet, restrained mannerisms. I honestly have no idea what's going, what David's up to, and I'm not sure we're going to get any clear answers. And I'm not terribly worried about it, as One Plus One offers up some strong character studies.
