THE BASICS
A look at the day to day life of a man named Riley and the events that lead him to a drastic decision.
MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF
- It says something about a book when a reader, like myself, who has no knowledge or past experience with a title and its kin, can come into its story, which makes no attempt to tell you what the overall goal is until the very end, and enjoy it as much as I did. Throughout the book, the reader follows Riley Richards as he visits his home town when news of his father's battle with stomach cancer reaches him. He visits old hang outs and talks to old friends but nothing of an overarching story reveals itself. (Not until the end, at least, where you realize everything that happened before did have a point.) Despite not knowing even vaguely anything about the direction the story would take, I stuck around. Why? The characters are just that good.
- Riley has the cavalier charm of a character you normally see in mobster movies (the young up-and-comer who's naive and street-wise at the same time, more specifically; also, almost always the narrator), but without the natural "cool" factor. He's likable, but he's also got plenty of flaws. He's emotionally disconnected from his father and wife, has many vices, and is a gold digger. It makes for an interesting contrast; one that's incredibly fun to read. The same is true for the rest of the cast (that they're fun to read, that is, not flawed mobster imitators). Brubaker has done a wonderful job with the script and the characters in it.
- The art in this book uses a technique that, while not exactly new or original, I'm a sucker for. In the "present day" of the story, colors are drab and dull. It gives everything a depressing feel. However, when Riley thinks back on his past life, the art shifts to something more akin to Archie or Calvin & Hobbes comics. Colors are brighter and the drawings are less detailed. It's a visual representation of how Riley views his life. His present is complicated, yet dull, but he looks to his past as a simpler and better time. He longs for it. It's a great example of adding character depth through visual storytelling.
- I'm not sure if it was because I went into this book completely blind, but the ending caught me totally by surprise and has me very excited to read issue two.
FEEL THE STING OF MY DISCONTENT!
WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
A surprisingly excellent comic, for me at least. It has great characters and what looks to be a very good story waiting just around the corner. Highly recommended.
