These days, a lot of the books on the marketplace read to me like books with a limited lifespan. Even those intended as ongoing series seem likely to lose their luster and become less interesting, as the central notions of the book become overly familiar and the twists and turns have to go into the ridiculous to win me over. Maybe it's too early to make this prediction with Love Fights, but I have the feeling that this is a series I could never get tired of. Watson's story is full of interesting and very believable character development, and he never seems to run out of ways to complicate the central relationship or to throw more hooks into the superhero side of the story, the developing saga of the Flamer's love child. The pacing on the series is fairly relaxed, and seven issues in we're still very much in the early stages of Nora and Jack's relationship, but I'm never left feeling like the book is padded or boring... instead, each issue leaves me with the same feeling, that I can't wait to see what happens in the next one.
Ever since the couple first began flirting, Jack has been on the edge of screwing things up but good with Nora. So it's no surprise that we begin issue #7 with him having just royally screwed himself and moping both in private and in the support of his friend, who also happens to be the writer of the comic he's working for. I notice that all of Jack's friends seem to work with him, which is an interesting indication that maybe he doesn't have that many friends and that the "high maintenance" charge levelled against him might be right on the money. From a storytelling perspective, it's a great touch, because it means Watson can throw just about anything into a conversation and have it seem like it belongs there.
What this means is that Watson can compare and contrast Jack's work and personal lives and show how similar they are. The coincidence of Nora coming over to interview Russ while Jack and Sue are working on the next Flamer issue is perfectly believable, and it makes for an exceptional use of the potential of comics as a storytelling medium. Watson intercuts between two conversations in the same room, with all the parties clearly listening in to what's going on with the other one, and in so doing gives a pretty good rundown of the differences between Jack and everyone in the room. Poor Jack definitely winds up coming across as the bad guy in this one, selfish and quick-tempered and not-too-bright about what he says, but he still remains sympathetic. Largely, I think, because the reader gets the sense that Jack doesn't even know he's doing it, and really isn't as much of a jerk deep down as he appears to be... he's just got severe insecurity issues.
You might think that this issue is all about Jack given how much I've talked about him for most of this review, but Nora doesn't give up the spotlight entirely. This is the first time in memory that the Fader, corporate security superhero and someone else Jack suspected Nora of having a fling with, has made such a prominent appearance. His interaction with Nora is a lot of fun, and I loved her mix between savvy reporter and negotiator and someone who clearly retains a little bit of her superhero fangirl, as seen by her reaction to being on the plane. Watson also moves the storyline of Flamer's mysterious love child forward, revealing some key information about the mother as well as showing Flamer doing superhero damage control in a hilarious and beautiful splash page that features the amusingly pulpish line "... as he appears to be tracking down every one of his villainous foes and conducting a frank and open discussion with his fists."
Couple Watson's minimalist artwork with terrific characterization, quirky characters both normal (Donnie the inking pimp) and superhuman (Knuckle Sandwich and Oni are my favorites, but all of his supervillain line-up is fun) and a central romance that is believable and entertainingly frustrating in the ways the characters manage to subvert their own potential happiness. One might assume that the title is a reference to the commonality of superhero fights, but it seems that Watson is also tipping his hat to the notion that love more often than not, and especially in romantic fiction, involves a great number of arguments and misunderstandings.
