It has
been four years since Bryan Lee O’Malley released the sixth and final volume of his Scott Pilgrim series, Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour. It has been well over two years since his new book, Seconds,
was announced. And it was three weeks after the release of the book that I was
able to sit down and read it. It was worth the wait.
Seconds is the story of Katie, a 29 year
old chef at a popular restaurant called Lucky’s. Her dream is to own her own restaurant,
a dream she is working toward achieving. Katie lives above Lucky’s. One night,
she discovers a box in her apartment. Inside the box is a notebook, a single
mushroom, and a notecard offering the opportunity for a second chance. All she
has to do is write down her biggest mistake, ingest the mushroom, and go to
sleep. When she wakes up, the mistake will not have happened. But you’re only
allowed one chance, and the mistake must have occurred in Lucky's. What would you do with that power? Would you change one
large mistake from your past and be satisfied? Or, would you find a way to
change all of your mistakes, attempting to create your perfect life? That is
the dilemma facing Katie once she finds the source of the magic. Like all great
fantasy, things are not as simple as they appear.
Seconds
is one part science fiction, one part fantasy, and one part reality. It is, first
and foremost, a character driven book. Most of the story revolves around
Katie’s emotional development. Bryan Lee O’Malley is a master of blending the
fantastical and the mundane. The fantastical elements of the story serve to
highlight the more realistic elements of Katie’s journey, a journey I was
happy to take with her. I found myself identifying with Katie more and more
throughout the book, as someone who wants to own my own business, as someone who wishes they could change their mistakes, and as a person who has learned from their mistakes. I wanted things to end well for her; I felt that if things
ended well for her, they could end well for me as well.
O’Malley’s
stylized artwork comes to life in this book. Seconds is some of his best
artwork to date. His cartoon-inspired style serves to beautifully mix the
elements of reality and fantasy. Like Scott Pilgrim, many settings in Seconds
are based on real places which helps the book seem more real. I always love
that O’Malley draws characters that look sort of the same, yet entirely
different. They look like they all belong in the same book together and the
same world, but you never get characters confused for other characters. Too
many graphic novels run into the problem of characters looking too similar;
Seconds doesn't have that problem at all.
Seconds is aptly titled. As soon as
I was done reading it, I wanted to read it again. I was skeptical that Bryan
Lee O'Malley would ever be able to churn out something as fun, poignant, and
enjoyable as Scott Pilgrim. Not because he's untalented, but simply because
Scott Pilgrim was incredible. Then he released Seconds, and I remembered why
it's worth it to wait four years for his work. O’Malley never fails to impress.
If you have never read a graphic novel, Seconds would be a great choice for your first.
P.S. – Fans of Scott Pilgrim, keep an eye out. You may recognize a few of the characters in the background.
No comments:
Post a Comment