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in the Lowlife Again:
Ed Brubaker's "A Complete Lowlife"
Review
by : Troy
Brownfield
Creator:
Ed
Brubaker
Available
at: www.topshelfcomix.com
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For those
who only know Ed Brubaker as the writer of Batman and Catwoman,
you're in for a surprise. This collection of Lowlife stories,
detailing the travails of one Thomas Booker, demonstrates
Brubaker's clear art and meticulous skill with everyday characters.
While it may seem to fit squarely in the "autobiograhpical"
school of comics or the wider "slacker" genre, Brubaker has
some insights that place him at a level removed from conventional
categorization.
One
thing that sets Lowlife immediately apart from similarly themed
works like Box Office Poison is that Tommy simply isn't a
nice guy. There are times when he's extremely sympathetic
(especially in the stellar "The Other Shoe"), but he can also
be an incredible asshole. I rather enjoyed the fact that our
p.o.v. character can spark such disparate reactions from the
reader. It adds a level of authenticity; I don't know any
real person that always behaves exactly the same way.
While
some of the circumstances in the book may seem a little extreme
to the casual observer, Brubaker's inherent suggestion that
aimlessness leads to horrible decision-making is right on
the money. Many plots are driven by that one crucial course
that a character must take; it seems that we're looking in
on Tommy right after he's already decided to give up.
However,
I believe that Brubaker's pinnacle here is the aforementioned
"The Other Shoe". Tommy and his girlfriend Sunny appear to
be drifting apart, yet no one knows exactly what to do. This
section is painfully real and quite stunning in its simple
power. There's a moment where Sunny accuses Tommy of being
transparently jealous, followed by a shot of him looking at
her through his hand. It's a haunting, knock-out of a scene.
Brubaker
will undoubtedly get more popular as he continues to do fantastic
work on the Batman titles. Don't short yourself, though; A
Complete Lowlife is certainly something to be appreciated.
Make this decision: read it.
Troy
Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews. Having
worked in a video store, he understands certain parts of two
"Two Dicks" sequence all too well. Email him at psikotyk@aol.com
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