Box Office Poison
I just finished reading the enormous (600 pgs!) trade paperback of the complete run of Alex Robinson's Box Office Poison comic book. I have pretty much a one word review: Fantastic!
I met Alex at this year's Comic Con International in San Diego and he couldn't have been nicer or more generous with advice on getting creator owned projects published. Browsing through the Top Shelf booth, I came across the enormous BOP trade. I remembered back to an issue of Wizard magazine that BOP was featured in their "Secret Stash" feature that spotlights indie comics and the description of the book sounded like something I would love to read. But for one reason or another, I just never did and it slipped my mind. The trade was $30 but I remembered the glowing reviews and thought I would do my part to support a (fellow?) independant comic book creator...so I plunked down my cash. He sketched the lead character and signed the book for me and off I went.
Over the next few weeks, I kept the boook on my nightstand and every night for an hour or so I would visit with the characters. I can't say enough how much I loved this book. And to be able to sit down and read the entire run was a treat and really gave a nice overall picture of the whole story.
OK, so what's it about, right? It's a character driven story about this group of twenty-somethings that live in Manhattan. Sherman is a wishy washy wannabee writer who works in a bookstore gig he hates, yet refuses to do anything to better his situation. His girlfriend, Dorothy, is an alcoholic slob who he bonds with. Best friend Ed still lives with his parents and tries to get rid of his virginity like the proverbial hot potato. He also wants to be a comic book artist and gets a gig as an asst. to Irving Flavor, a one time great comic artist who has fallen on hard times of his own making. Steven and Jane are a young couple just trying to make it. The story is raw, has wonderful asides to the "camera" and is really beautifully drawn.
There are a bunch of smaller stories and a larger overall arc binding it all together. The characters are real. You feel like you know them or people like them and by that, you really care about how things turn out for them come the end of the story. Funny, warm, heartbreaking...all in one. If you're a fan of novels like "Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" or movies like "Garden State", "High Fidelity", "Beautiful Girls" you're going to love this book. If you're in the mood for superheroes then this might not be the book for you (although there are some, but not in the way you would be expecting them), but if you're a fan of great characters and great writing, I can't recommend it highly enough. His newest graphic novel TRICKED comes out this week and I can't wait to check it out.
Click on Alex's site and purchase a copy. Tell him I sent you :)
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