The first volume of True Story Swear to God was focused on the magical romance of Tom and Lily, while volume two focuses more on the relationship as it develops. While there were certainly troubles in the early days of the relationship and the early issues, this volume is more emotionally heart-wrenching, as Tom and Lily face the many difficulties of a long distance relationship, from the universal (travel difficulties) to the more unique (a hurricane). However, the secret weapon of True Story Swear to God, Beland's wit and warmth, is still in full force, and Beland once again manages to make this story at once the unique story of the romance between Tom and Lily and a universal story for anyone in love, or anyone who has ever been in love. (Note: In this review, when I say Beland, I'm referring to him as author, when I use first names, I'm referring to Tom and Lily as they exist as characters in the story.)
After four issues that comprised one narrative but were essentially standalone, Beland had established his premise (a true life romance) and This One Goes to 11 is more of a multi-part story that is all wrapped up in one over-arching plot, the decision of Tom to move from Napa to be with Lily. In single issues, the pacing kind of bothered me, as it felt like suddenly the stories were getting a lot shorter, but in trade form, the story is as rich and deep and emotionally rewarding as it has ever been. By this point, it's clear that Tom and Lily still have plenty to learn about one another and the places that they live, but it's just as clear that both of them care deeply for one another.
The story of the hurricane seems at first blush to be a big change from what True Story has been about to this point. Tom and Lily are apart, not together, and their relationship is much more a source of stress than it previously had been. In fact, both the hurricane story and the story that follows it up, about Lily's trouble-plagued trip to get to Napa, serve to illustrate how difficult it was for Tom and Lily to be apart, and to serve as foundation for the life-changing decision that drives the rest of the story.
While this volume of True Story has more heart-wrenching or downbeat notes than the previous one, Beland still includes a lot of his trademark humor and touching emotion in the stories. Tom's argument with his editor about his column, talking about the use of "hip" words, is hilarious, as is the talking smack that Tom and his brother do during their Playstation games. There are also some really strong emotional moments here as Tom has to tell his family about his decision to move away from him. These moments are sad, but they also convey the deep and meaningful relationship that Tom has with his family, deepening him as a character and extending the story of True Story beyond being just about the Tom/Lily relationship.
I have to admit, Beland does explore the feelings of his characters to a degree that might to some feel a bit melodramatic. Everything we see in these issues is momentous and powerfully emotional, and for some it might get a little exhausting. However, while Beland does occasionally verge on over-the-top in describing how amazing he thinks Lily is, or how much his family means to him, these feelings come across as absolutely genuine, and the emotion is sweet and inviting rather than sappy or manipulative. True Story has moved me to tears on more than one occasion, and I've never felt that this emotional connection wasn't honestly earned.
While I often give a lot of credit to Beland's writing, I don't spend as much time discussing his art. However, Beland is definitely an accomplished cartoonist, the equal of many (and superior of many others) who make their living on the newspaper comics page in terms of expressive characters, comedic timing and just conveying moments visually. There's a stunning two-page splash that opens what was originally issue six that really conveys the power and scope of the hurricane, and Beland also really captures the larger-than-life joy as he and his brother attend a football game on the eve of his departure for Puerto Rico. That doesn't even touch on Beland's best art strength, the ability to convey emotions in his characters that really sell the humorous or heartfelt moments. Beland experiments with his art a little bit in this volume as well, with a cross-hatching style based on Carla Speed McNeil's work that I honestly didn't feel worked with Beland's style and work on the storm based on Jeff Smith's similar work in Bone that works quite well. Beland's art has always been solid, but he continues to grow more confident and more adept with each issue, and certainly one shouldn't undersell the importance of his art in terms of the True Story experience.
This is one of those buzz books you've all heard of, but all too many people aren't reading it because they don't think they have an interest in romance books, or black and white comics, or whatever. To those people I say, you don't know what you're missing. True Story Swear to God brings the reality and fantasy of romance together into a story that can be appreciated by those in love and those wanting to be in love alike. It's the kind of classic romantic story that great books and films are made of, and it's made all the more effective by knowing that it has a real life, honest to God happy ending. 10/10
