Rob Osborne carved out his reputation in the comics industry with the satirical mini-comic 1,00 Steps to World Domination. With his newest project, he takes a much more subtle approach to his examination of society and its priorities. He puts society's ills under a microscope, and serving as his gateway for is one man, overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness and insignficance, and a string of newspaper reports. The storytelling is meticulous. The pace is a slow one, but it's one that serves the subject matter and the plot incredibly well. The balance between characterization and social relevance is strong, and it makes for surprisingly riveting reading.
Frank is a lonely, sad man. His wife died of cancer not long ago, and shortly thereafter, his company forced him into retirement. His daughter convinced him to sell his home and move into a retirement community, but Frank has cut himself off from that community. It feels phoney, and he decides it holds little appeal for him beyond giving him a place to walk his dog and read his paper every day. Frank reads of the violence in the world, learns of the ugliness that's going on, but when that violence explodes into his own life, it changes him. Is it for the better or the worse?
Osborne's illustration style is loose and sketchy, but it's effective. He conveys Frank's ennui and sadness incredibly well, so well that one not only sympathizes with him but empathizes with him. There are a couple of scenes in which it is difficult to distinguish among the supporting female characters, but the confusion is fleeting (thanks to the dialogue). The newspaper layouts are well done. Those pages don't look exactly like print news would, but they're damn close. The color cover is stunning, and it made me wish there was interior color when Osborne reaches the key sunset scene in the latter part of the book. The artist uses black space to great effect, employing it to isolate the main character at key moments.
I'll be honest... often, senior citizens make me feel uncomfortable. I can't relate to them, and since I can't imagine what's going on inside their heads, I find it difficult to speak with them. I always feel like a little kid around unfamiliar seniors. Osborne does an incredible job of conveying the widower/retiree experience here, but at the same time, it's surprisingly easy to relate to the downtrodden protagonist.
Osborne brings together the main character's sense of being lost and his frustration together with social issues he addresses through the media reports. Frank is wrong to ignorethe other people around, yes, but Osborne demonstrates that most of the other Sunset City residents are ignoring what's going on around them as well. They try to bend the world to their will, and it's pointless. Frank's actions in the book's climax are wrong, but they're righteous as well, and one can't help but applaud him for finally taking action. Frank finds purpose and direction in one explosive moment. I'm reminded a bit of About Schmidt, but Osborne doesn't play up the comic elements quite so much. This is a compelling and unusual story for the comics format, and I'm pleased to see Ait/Planet Lar continues to offer unconventional but strong storytelling. 9/10
