_Cassandra_'s Full Review: Terry Moore - Strangers in Paradise: High School!
What, I hear you cry? A comic? Don't be ridiculous, they're for kids, or people with no life! Not this one. Strangers in Paradise is unlike any other comic out there. It has genuine characterization, incredibly expressive artwork, women who are drawn as real women, not barbie dolls, and great dialogue, both funny and real.
Terry Moore, the author of this groundbreaking series, was working for years doing various odd jobs and trying out ideas for short syndicate style comic strips before he developed the characters which eventually came together to form the cast of Strangers in Paradise. He took several months off work to develop the first few issues, which was taken up by Atlantic press as a 3 part mini-series. The series has continued and there are now dozens of issues of Stranger In Paradise and half a dozen trade paperbacks, but this review is for these first three issues, which have been released in soft cover as The Collected Strangers in Paradise and in hard cover as The Complete Strangers in Paradise. There is only a slight difference between the two, the hard cover having a few more pages of stuff which is really only worth the extra price if you are a die-hard fan. If you just want to check out Terry's work to see if you like it, I recommend just grabbing the soft cover as it is much cheaper - you can get the hard cover later!
On to the story. Strangers in Paradise is essentially a story about two best friends and what happens in their lives. Francine Peters is attractive, brunette and well built, but lacks self confidence and is constantly worried about her weight. She does have a habit of eating when she gets upset, and a whole host of human traits that any reader can identify with. She doesn't really know what she wants in life, but she does have a heart of gold.
Katina Choovanski (Katchoo), her best friend, is quite the opposite physically - she's perky, sassy and compact with a mane of curly gold locks which Terry obviously relishes drawing. Katchoo is an artist, a rebel and a feminist with attitude. Katchoo also has feelings toward Francine that are more than just friendship, as is revealed early on in the first issue. Katchoo is constantly wrestling with her feelings - she adores Francine but has to fight with herself to not scare Francine away. She's also kept a lot of secrets over the years.
Katchoo and Francine have been friends since high school, as we see in the first couple of pages a scene of some embarrassment for the self-conscious Francine during a high-school play called, strangely enough, Strangers in Paradise. Did you ever have something really awful happen to you at high school? Well, you'll cringe in sympathy when you read this. The story quickly shifts to the modern day, and we find Katchoo and Francine sharing a house together. The story then develops to revolve mainly around Francine's chauvinist boyfriend, Freddie Femur, whom Francine loves despite his boorish tendencies. Katchoo, however, can't stand the guy. We see the sparks fly when Freddie dumps Francine - Katchoo rushes to her friends' defense and we discover Katchoo has quite a temper, and some abilities that give a hint that she's got some unusual history.
Now, about David. We also see introduced at the very beginning of the series a character who plays a much more pivotal role in later issues, an Asian art student by the name of David Qin. He finds Katchoo at an art gallery, and observes her making a guerilla feminist statement on a statue by Rodin. He's immediately taken with her, and we discover he's not a guy who'll take no for an answer, even when she spells it out for him - "I'm … not … interested … in … men! Ok?" David then manages to insinuate his prescence into the lives of both Francine and Katchoo, in the most unbelievable ways.
So much happens in these few issues it's very difficult to give a proper overview. Terry Moore's art is of exceptionally high quality and he manages to pack so much meaning and feeling into each frame. His inking, his dialogue, his plots and characterization - everything about this comic rates tops marks from me, and from many others, as Terry has won several Eisner awards (the major awards for excellence in comics).
The artwork. Terry Moore's drawing style is incredibly expressive. The tiniest nuance of expression in a face is captured with consummate skill, and is one of the main reasons the comic works so well to give the illusion that these are real people, living real lives. Terry chooses to ink in black and white for most of the issues (and all of the ones in this collection) and uses both fine brushes and pens to get a variation in line which creates his hallmark individuality and style. One of the most commented on aspects of his work is that he draws women in proportion: real boobs, real bums. Francine is not the typically drawn comic book ideal of beauty: but here Terry makes it quite obvious that she is beautiful, and sends a message to all women: that size is not a barrier to beauty. Top marks to Terry for pointing out something quite obvious that has been drowned out by a media and consumer industry which makes big bucks from making us feel inferior.
Katchoo and Francine are likeable, endearing, and very soon you start feeling as though they are real people. I feel tongue-tied trying to describe how brilliant this comic is. I've introduced maybe half a dozen people to Strangers in Paradise, and they've all become instantly hooked. These are stories you just can't put down, and many people rush off to buy the whole series after reading one issue, staying up til 5am in the morning reading them all in one go.
Just one warning. Strangers in Paradise does deal with a lot of real issues and may be offensive to people with closed minds and weak stomachs. Some of the sexual issues dealt with over the course of the series include lesbianism, radical feminism, sadomasochism, prostitution, paedophilia, and incest. This is not a comic for kids. But Terry treats these issues with sensitivity and in some cases, lightening humour. Terry not only entertains with his writing and art, but makes us think and challenge the way we look at the world. He also encourages forgiveness and compassion. Terry fills his pages with an unshakable love of life in all its various ups and downs, and he is truly a master storyteller.
If you'd like to know more about Strangers in Paradise, see the Official Website at:
This is the extraordinary graphic novel taught in university classrooms across the nation as a leading example of contemporary literature. From its co...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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