I wonder if Beland will be getting a lot of new readers in this issue, coming off the collection of #1-4 from AIT/Planet Lar. Certainly I hope so, because while this issue of TSSTG is shorter than I've come to expect, it brings with it the same honesty, humor and fascinating story that I've come to expect from the book. After four issues that comprised one narrative but were essentially standalone, Beland has established his premise (a true life romance) and now settles in for his first real multi-part story. It's a change from the pacing I'm used to, and given how infrequent the issues have been, the change to a shorter story left me wanting more, but basically its another installment in the comic that everyone should be reading, whether you're lovesick, lovelorn or in love.
In his editorial that appears in the back, Beland notes that he's decided to stop trying to up the page count every time until he's got a 48-page book, so this is basically half the size of most of the issues of TSSTG. Honestly, the change is noticeable, and the pacing does feel a bit weird, as Beland introduces a number of short segments which all sort of tangentially relate to the tropical storm threatening Puerto Rico (and by extension Lily) but which don't get the closure I've come to expect from each issue. This feels much more like the first part of a three-part story rather than a self-contained tale that leads into other related stories.
The upshot of this is that Beland is trying to produce the book more frequently, which would be great. Fortunately, while the pacing takes some getting used to, the book hasn't lost its charm, its sense of humor, or its core of romance. 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. Tom's constant buzz of worry about Lily pervades the entire issue, even when he's engaged in seemingly carefree video games with his brother (well, not carefree for his brother), and especially when his frustration leads him into a bout of borderline obnoxious berating of his co-workers. Once again, Beland isn't afraid to be honest, and while it's not hard to sympathize with his frustration with his co-workers, it's also easy to see that he's presenting himself as a bit too harsh, influenced as much by personal troubles as by the problems caused by frustrations at work.
In the midst of all this, I once again can find plenty to relate to. Tom vocalizes in this issue some of the things the reader has seen him thinking about in previous ones, the question of moving away from the only home he's ever known and how deep his feelings are for Lily, and everyone should be able to relate to one or the other. Even those who haven't been in love, or had a long-distance relationship, can relate to the uncertainties of the future and trying to balance your actual choices with what you can live with. And certainly many of us reading comics know the joy (and maybe the frustration) of a good session of video-gaming with friends or relatives, which is expressed in the humorous segment between Tom, his brother and the Playstation 2.
I do have to admit that I was disappointed not to get more TSSTG in this issue, but that's largely an issue of being spoiled by Beland's generosity with page count and quite possibly insane work ethic. The development of the romance beyond the magical beginnings and into slightly more normal territory comes without losing any of the magic that made the series such a gripping read in the first place, and I'm once again anxiously awaiting the next issue mere moments after I finish the current one, knowing it's going to be a longer wait.
