|
THE WAITING PLACE #10
Recommended (8/10)
|
Slave Labor Graphics
"Intrusions Part II"
Artist: Mike Norton
Consulting Editor: Jeff Limke
"Tower"
Artist: Jason Alexander
Writer: Sean McKeever
Price: $2.95 US |
Despite my feeling that The Waiting Place reads better in collections or sets
of issues, I'm impressed with how McKeever manages to tell a story in every
issue with different characters. While there are continuations here of the
stories of various characters, and while we'll certainly see follow-ups to all
of the stories in this issue, there are conflicts and resolutions of sorts as
well, and even someone coming into the book completely cold would be able to
figure out what's going on. A large part of that has to do with the strength of
the storytelling, both in writing and art, but another part is the choice of
subject matter, which is easy to relate to for just about anyone, unlike many of
the super-hero, crime or action comics on the market today.
The central focus this issue is on Cullen,
or at least it seems that way since he gets the opening pages. We really haven't
seen much of Cullen, so it was nice to learn about his relationship with his
brother and see how that hasn't changed. Once again, McKeever hits on something
universal: just about everyone has been in a situation where someone with a more
dynamic personality steals the spotlight, and Cullen's mixture of hurt and
resignation is perfect.
Even better, though, was the interplay
between Scott and Jeffry. Their dialogue, especially the banter from one
another, rang really true to life and had the side bonus of being pretty funny.
And though the scene is mostly about exposition and a couple of laughs, McKeever
also slides in a story point about what Scott is leaving behind, as his dialogue
and Norton's art suggests that he may be feeling more guilty about following his
dream than he lets on. I was also relieved to see Jeffry confront Lora with his
other "girlfriend" rather than try to sneak around on her, as it made for an
interesting argument between the two of them and heightens once again the old
chestnut of having to choose one person or the other.
Norton still could use a little more detail
in the faces of his characters, but he is very skilled at conveying emotions
through body language and panel movements, and his storytelling skills in
general are terrific. Also, the problem I had with the earlier volume of the
series, where the characters were often hard to tell apart, is gone, as he has
given each character more of a distinctive look. The other artist for the book,
Jason Alexander, who works on the backup feature Tower, is a very different
style, almost sketchy, which fits the dark mood of that piece quite well. It
took me a couple of read-throughs to "get" the piece, so I don't think his
storytelling is as strong as Norton's, but his atmosphere is terrific, and his
use of more shaded sketches to reflect flashbacks was a great choice.
It's strange to turn to the back of this slice-of-life comic and read a science-fiction story, but McKeever grounds the Tower in real human emotions and relationships, and though this piece felt a bit rushed, it's still a good read that fills out the book nicely. All in all, while I'm a big proponent of "waiting for the trade," The Waiting Place is a series that I want to read as soon as possible, and my
impatience overwhelms my preference for format.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
