Image Comics 2017
By Jeff Lemire
Lettered by Steve Wands
The death of a sibling/son sent this family spiralling into different directions. The messed up part is those who stayed in Royal all see their own version of him. Pat’s come home because his dad’s in a coma and now has to come face to face with his past while dealing with his family in the present. Not as easy as it sounds, so many diverse folks in one family and you thought your clan the fun in dysfunctional!
This issue opens up with Pat getting a call from his girlfriend. She’s an actress and let’s just say she has a habit of getting really involved in her work. Pat has come and he’s away from all he knows and it seems to me that the way Jeff is writing this the poor man is in dire need of a complete life overhaul. I mean he’s got writers block and his relationship isn’t strong and from what we see here is family life is well yeah. If this is going to be Pat’s version of a mid-life crisis and solution then more power to him but here’s hoping that it isn’t just him that gets some help here.
Actually I really am kind of impressed with just how well this is being written. I mean it kind of has this soap opera feel to it as we see emotions and feelings and awkward talks happening and yet it all flows so well. Also give it up because the opening when Pat is talking to Greta and she’s moving around the lot and the scenery behind her keeps changing it’s really rather amazingly well done. The movement portrayed in this way left an unexpected impact and garners a whole new respect for the way Jeff’s mind works.
Poor Richie he’s the one that has fallen the farthest in life. He’s got his dead brother as his best friend and wingman as he fills the void in his life with alcohol and drugs. I mean this is the kind of mess that puts you in rehab and the hospital. Just the way that we can see two brothers with such similar and yet completely different lives that kind of need each other this much it’s crazy.
I really have become to love this style of artwork. The watercolour effect and the amount of detail he can put into it always amazes me. The use of backgrounds here too is so well done and that whole bathroom scene just took me there. The use of page layouts utilising angles and perspective is so well done. The overall feeling that we get from what Jeff does here is remarkable and unmistakable.
I like this trend of stories that are story driven and not really focusing on superpowers or the supernatural. Yeah they all see their brother/son but that’s more mental than actual so it’s a much different scenario. Also that this dysfunctional family is so relatable to, there’s no way you won’t find someone in this who doesn’t look familiar, just makes it all the more interesting. This is why we love Jeff, what he does and what can do.