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FRAYED ENDS #1
"Long Time in Coming, Part 1"
Recommended (8/10)
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Writer/Artist: Jason Brightman
Price: $2.95 US/$4.00 CAN |
Every month, when going through Previews, different indie books catch my eye and tempt me to order them, and for the month of April, Frayed Ends was one of those books. It is a little short, tantalizing the reader rather than revealing too much, but it's got enough information and entertainment value to hook me. This issue opens the door, literally and figuratively, to the rest of the story, and invites the reader to see what's on the other side. In addition, Brightman blends strong professional work with excellent production values, including a cardstock cover and nice quality paper, so that the art reproduces nicely and the colorful cover stands out on the rack.
Frayed Ends occupies that genre known in comics as "slice-of-life," but like many of the more successful comics of that stripe, it also includes some fairly fictional elements. In particular, the presence of an imaginary friend and some surreal imagery leads what is a fairly simple story of a hard break-up down some very unusual paths. It's possible, of course, that the lead character is simply cracking up, but it's more likely (and more interesting) that his childhood imaginary friend has come to him as an adult looking for help.
The idea of a childhood friend coming back in adulthood has been seen before, usually in remarkably bad movies like Drop Dead Fred. However, Brightman is playing this return less for laughs and more as something that will have a fairly deep impact on his main character. That character, Paul, is developed first as a regular guy before any of the weirdness is dropped on him, and that's what makes the story work. Paul's feelings of loss and morose attitude after the break-up with a girlfriend are something most of us will be able to relate to, and the friend who is frustrated by the inability to move on is also something that I think most of us have experienced at least once in our lives.
Just because the story isn't largely played for laughs doesn't mean there isn't fun to be had, however. The interaction between Paul and Jelayne is terrific, and after only a few panels, I was completely enthralled by the down-to-earth, witty and smart Jelayne. In addition, Paul's morose state makes his reactions to the re-emergence of an imaginary friend more subdued than you would expect, which is actually funnier than the slapstick approach. However, Brightman is unable to resist at least one slapstick gag, as Paul trips himself up on the sidewalk, and that element of comedy works as well, since it isn't overplayed.
Brightman's interior artwork is a little rougher than the cover shot, using a sort of ink spatter for shading and background. It actually works pretty well, and I'm impressed with the backgrounds of the story, which are very simple and realistic while being detailed enough to give the reader a sense of where the characters are.
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