My interest in the world of models and fashion photography is just slightly higher than my interest in the fast-paced world of professional dog shows. Fortunately, Johnston makes this world accessible and interesting, thanks in no small part to his always-entertaining blend of interesting characters, believable plotting and a terrific sense of humor. Johnston's story follows a familiar structure, as a likeable guy fakes his way into a brand of stardom and then lets it go to his head, but the story never feels tired, in no small part thanks to the witty moment-to-moment writing skills that Johnston displays. Johnston has also once again teamed up with an impressive new art talent, and this time out its Matthew Loux, whose lanky, exaggerated figures and strong storytelling skills perfectly capture the characters and setting of F-Stop.
The structure of F-Stop is classic Hollywood formula, not unlike Johnston's previous foray into romantic comedy Three Days in Europe. Early on, I wasn't entirely sure what shape the story would take, and whether or not there was romantic tension between Nick and his friend Kelly, or if there was something more sinister going on at fashion house Gauche, but it quickly becomes clear that this is a fame and the price of pride story, the kind we've seen in any number of movies about people making it in any given world of entertainment. It's easy to plot Nick's trajectory, from overly humble to overly arrogant to crushed by his own arrogance to redeemed by his innate goodness.
However, it's also remarkably easy to enjoy, thanks to Johnston building up a really good cast of characters. Nick is fun throughout, whether he's the guy at the end of his rope thanks to impending financial doom or the guy burning all his bridges because of his newfound fame. I thought his development of arrogance was a little sudden, as it almost seemed to happen between pages as he went from admiring Jebediah Fulsom to insulting him, but I bought into it largely because Johnston had me believing in the character at that point. The same can be said of the other main characters in the book, from Chantel the model (deeper than she seems at first glance) to Gina Gauche the fashion leader (much more sinister than she appears to be at first.) All of these characters contain volumes, never resting just on their role in the story, and so I can like and hate them at different times as they story requires, all the while buying into them as people.
I have to admit, my favorite parts of the story came early on, as Nick Stoppard makes a slow transition from normal guy to celebrated photographer. There are some hilarious moments as his friends help him with an introduction to a fashion model or a last-minute gig, and watching him struggle with the knowledge of his own fakery is probably the most fun part of the book. Johnston gets a lot of mileage out of what are essentially mundane moments, ranging from hanging out with friends at a bar to attending a big party to working last-minute to get a job done. The dramatic tension in the story should be at something of a minimum, as the stakes never really rise much beyond whether Nick will be able to work as a photographer or date a model, but I found myself deeply involved with Nick's story and rooting for everything to turn out in the end, even when he was acting like a jerk and clearly deserving a comeuppance. Johnston has a talent for writing people with flaws who are nonetheless quite likable, and he puts it to good use with Nick Stoppard.
Once again, the folks at Oni have opened my eyes to a new art talent, and while this is the first work I've seen from Matthew Loux, I know it won't be the last. Loux's style has some resemblances to a mixture of Andi Watson minimalism and the expressive animated look of Mike Hawthorne, but really it's one of those styles that is distinctive and easily recognizable as belonging to its originating artist. His exaggeration of characters' bodies, with stretched out necks, torsos and limbs, seems oddly perfect for capturing the strange beauty of the fashion scene, and yet it also works for the normal working guys who populate the story. I also love the way he draws the beaming, often fake, smiles on various people in the story, reminding me of the Hollywood fake expressions that Bendis so perfectly captured in his work on Fortune & Glory. Loux has some unusual visual storytelling cues to pull off here, from impressing upon the reader the strength of design in the clothes to the quirky, even awful, elements of Stoppard's photography, and he pulls it off beautifully.
F-Stop is a classic romantic comedy formula transplanted into an unusual setting and given wings by the talent of the creative team. Johnston never steers far afield of expectation with crazy plot twists or out-of-left-field changes, instead hewing closely to boy gets girl, boy loses girl, will boy get girl again timeless romantic storytelling. However, this laser focused story, combined with characters who are so real they practically breathe and stunning artwork by Loux, is still a fresh, fun page-turner. 9/10
