Abstract Studio 2018
By Terry Moore
Francine and Katchoo are living the dream until they learn a former Parker Girl is in hiding and writing a tell-all book about the wicked empire Darcy Parker built with Katchoo at her side. Determined to stop her, Katchoo enlists the aid of her mercenary sister Tambi and the hunt is on!
I’m pretty sure there isn’t anything Terry touches that isn’t spectacular. I mean he captivated us first with Strangers in Paradise then went and brought us Echo with Rachel Rising hot on its heels and finally Motor Girl. All of these series different, unique and special in their own ways yet they have the same feeling of warmth that emanates from them. Now in honour of it’s 25th anniversary Strangers in Paradise is back with a brand new story. So it’s time to welcome old friends or make new ones depending on when you discovered Terry’s monumentally epic work.
The opening is a fantastic. I love the way this plays out and it has a very Oliver Twist feel to it that I found intriguing to say the least. Ironically the only person I haven’t been able to place in my head is the young blonde woman with the scarf. I mean she seems familiar but off the top of my head the name escapes me, still that she was able to get the kids and orchestrate such a great pickpocket from someone who seems to be wearing a gun, unless my eyes deceive me. It really is something to see unfold.
I love Terry’s skill at storytelling I mean the way he’s able to structure his stories and get the reader involved in the ebb & flow is among the reason he’s a multiple award winner. He’s got such a breezy feel to the way he writes as if he isn’t creating the story he’s just telling it to us for the characters. It’s a hard thing to do and to make it feel so effortless is something I admire. These characters all have such diverse and interesting personalities and characteristics and yet somehow he manages to make them feel like old friends of ours, at this point they are of each other. Whereas most of us dread seeing our family over the holiday’s this is the exception to the rule.
Terry was among the first people to help me understand the value, beauty and power of black and white illustration. I’d always avoided it in the past and had a real mental block where it was concerned but he opened my eyes showed me this world where the attention to detail was second to none and that page could be unforgiving and you needed to have exquisite skill to make it look this good. The way he can use page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective showcase his eye for storytelling. That majority of the panels incorporate backgrounds is lovely and helps us see the setting better.
I will say that in these pages that they talk about the events that happen in Echo. I mean Tambi was involved in that series as well and to include talk of it here was a great way of tying things in and for getting Katchoo up to date on everything she’s been up to. Now if there were a way to tie-in Rachel Rising… but I am going to say that’s too much to ask for. Regardless it is still nice to see how close they all are that Tambi is openly telling her all the details. This is why we feel like this is more family than any other series being published, the setting the events going on and the conversation it all feels like family.
This is off to a stellar start and I would expect no less. I’m ready for this to take me where it will and soak up every moment of it.