 |
 |
How
Does It Feel? Still Great ...:
Blue Monday: Absolute Beginners
By Chynna Clugston-Major
Oni Press Trade Paperback Review by: Troy
Brownfield
More info at: www.onipress.com
|
As regular readers of Shotgun Reviews can attest, I'm a big
fan of "Blue Monday". The original tales of teenager
Bleu and her circle of friends (collected in the trade "The
Kids Are Alright") sparkle with an insight and deft touch
that eludes the grasp of most Hollywood filmmakers that traffic
in the same territory. Clugston-Major obviously takes most
of her cues (musical and otherwise) from the same approach
that John Hughes used in the '80s, balancing convincing drama
with humor in a likeable, good-natured package. The characters
in Blue Monday came across as instantly sympathetic because
their travails and dilemmas strike the reader as 100% genuine.
I'm happy to report that the same standard of quality also
permeates the new volume, "Blue Monday: Absolute Beginners".
All of
the touches the made the first trade a winner can be found
herein. Clugston-Major's hugely entertaining propensity for
setting off the emotional tone of a scene by indicating in
small print what song would be the appropriate background
music remains one of my favorite touches (suggestions include
such Reagan-era chestnuts as The Go-Go's "Head Over Heels",
Squeeze's "Hourglass", and The Smith's "There
is a Light That Never Goes Out"; Chynna's got taste).
In fact, the whole attitude here is playful; the subtitle
of the series itself is a knowing nod to the Julian Temple
film, and the collection's cover riffs on the movie poster
from "Sixteen Candles". I could go on, but the whole
of "Blue Monday" is much greater than a sum of references.
Aside
from her art, which is uniformly outstanding, Clugston-Major's
defining talent is her ability cut to the truth of a scene.
This is apparent whether we're dealing with a comical soccer
match, an intimate moment of connection on date, or the simple
banter between two best girlfriends and a giant otter (seriously).
Whether the aim of a scene is to coax a laugh or a sigh, each
one is built in such a way that the reader's emotional response
precludes only skepticism. She really is a remarkable storyteller.
In terms
of plot, the narrative is ostensibly about Bleu and her best
friend Clover trying to wrest back a videotape of her in the
bath shot by their knuckleheaded male friends Alan and Victor.
The low pranks, the one-upsmanship, and the he said/she said
among the boys and girls is remarkably true to life. We sympathize
with Bleu, but we also sympathize with the rest of the cast.
Each one is trying their best to deal with the confusing tides
of adolescence, and it's sufficient to say that we've all
been there.
"Blue
Monday" remains a series that's a delight to read. It
defies conventional comics tropes and reaches for something
different. It's certainly something that you can give to non-comics
readers to begin their inevitable conversion. There's a wit
and charm about these stories that make Clugston-Major's growing
collection of accolades and awards not only welcome, but necessary.
"Blue Monday: Absolute Beginners" belongs on your
shelf.
Troy
Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews. He'd
love to see what Chynna could do with a scene set to "Strange
But True" by Times Two. Email Troy at psikotyk@aol.com.
|
