STRANGERS IN PARADISE #45
"In My Life"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
|
Abstract Studio
Writer/Artist: Terry Moore
Price: $2.95 US/$4.60 CAN |
Moore continues to impress with his ability to blend drama and comedy in this rather unusual comic-book series. His characters have lived through an intricate series of events, yet there's a tone of accessibility to this issue. Sure, a new reader isn't going to know all about the love triangle involving Francine, Katchoo and David, but there's enough here to keep one interested. As for those of us who have been along for the ride for years now... there's a nice mix of the same old fun gags and new story directions.
Francine moves back to Houston, having left her fiancee at the altar. She calls to let her friend Casey know she's back in town, only to discover she's in Hawaii, visiting Katchoo. Meanwhile, the frustration between David and Katchoo comes to a head, and Freddie Femur learns of Francine's return to Houston.
Moore is obviously out to grab the reader's attention with a vengeance with this issue. The opening page tells the quietly shocking tale of a young woman that we'll likely not see again during the course of this title. Even though she plays but a brief role, one gets a sense of who she is quickly. Moore has poured a lot of effort and imagination into her, and it pays off. She brings a genuine feel to the story, characters and setting. Immediately, I'm convinced of the reality of the world in which Francine and Katchoo live.
The more serious tone of that opening scene acts as a nice balance for the following farce of Freddie Femur's fascination with Francine. ...
Heh. Accidental alliteration. Cool.
Anyway, Freddie's hijinks never fail to entertain. But Moore isn't just making with the yuks to offset the grave tone of the first two pages. He's demonstrating that there are levels to the men in his script. Freddie's been something of an antagonist throughout this series, painted as a real pig. But here, we see that Freddie -- though still an insensitive, stubborn... well, idiot -- is not the ultimate extreme in male chauvanism we thought him to be.
Moore's art remains as expressive and entertaining as ever. In this issue, though, I noticed just how much detail he pours into the settings and backgrounds. It's always been there; it just stood out for me for some reason this time around. Of course, Moore also knows when to isolate his characters visually in order to emphasize mood/
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
