My head hurts. Understand, I read a lot of superhero comics, and that includes the weird time-twisting Crises and multiple versions of the same hero and even the deconstructionist stuff exploring corporate influences on superheroes... and yet, Andi Watson has still managed to turn in quite the brain teaser with his latest issue of Love Fights. This is good, in many regards, since it introduces a lot of potentially fascinating ideas about the nature of heroes in this world and how they're linked more strongly with their published counterparts, but it also does raise a lot of questions, not all of which are answered clearly in this issue. The end result is that I'm left a little confused about the overall plot, which isn't a good thing considering that the plot is going on nine issues now with no end in sight, but fortunately the character stuff and the art is still top notch, and if Watson can answer a few of these questions in upcoming issues, this issue will look much stronger in retrospect.
So in this issue we're introduced to the notion of the Modal Multiverse Conjuncture, which is basically Watson's piss-take on DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths. Fun idea, and given the more down-to-earth nature of Love Fights's heroes, the idea of something this cosmic and old school superhero interacting with them makes it even more fun. I love Watson's snarky take on the M.M.C. and the goofiness of the golden age, which includes references to any number of goofy Weisinger-era Superman tales and funny alternate earths like "Phi Beta Earth." I wonder if this all might be a bit in-jokey given that many of the fans who would get the references wouldn't appreciate them being made fun of and most of them will fly over the heads of the majority of Watson's traditional audience, but it is kind of fun stuff.
The references are fun, but they're also presented as part of the ongoing plot, which is an interesting complication to what was a straightforward smear campaign, but which might make things a little too interesting. Which is to say that DC is still trying to make sense of their stories in the wake of Crisis, years ago, and Watson hasn't done himself any favors by introducing a similarly-complex idea into his continuity. When you mix in the commentary Watson is doing on the comics industry as well, what you've got are some unclear elements of the story that start to stretch the suspension of disbelief. We're meant to understand that heroes only stop villains who have a publishing deal with the same publisher? Is the whole hero-villain thing just a setup, like a reality show? It all seems too contrived, and in trying to fit temporal disturbance and industry commentary along with a regular superhero plot, Watson stands to collapse the whole house of cards.
However, worries about the plot are about all I've got with the series, and honestly, it's something of a minor element to my enjoyment of the book. What I love is the relationship that is developing been Nora and Jack, and that gets some great moments here. The two of them engaging in something of a "geek-off" in trying to tell the Flamer about his unusual past cracked me up, and I also quite enjoy the snarky one-up-manship that has developed between them. I'm no longer sure a romantic relationship lies in their future, but the two of them still have great chemistry.
Then there's the artwork, and as always, there's no disappointment to be found here. Watson depicts the craziness of the M.M.C. and the golden and silver age with minimalist glee, and I love the simple but effective visuals of a baby in a rocketship, a horse with a cape or a magical villain named Abra Cadaver. Watson conveys a lot of information in a very short space thanks to his ability to communicate so clearly with his artwork, and there's also a terrific blend of lettering and art that makes it all part of the same storytelling tool. Flamer's reaction to the M.M.C. infodump is powerfully represented, and while I'm not entirely certain I'm reading the story of Jack's cat right, there's certainly an implication of some very unusual doings there as well, all down to silent storytelling in the artwork.
