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Nothing Better #1
Dementian Comics / Tyler Page |
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Today's review is both a webcomic and a traditional series. It's one of those titles that's straddling the world of the old (straight to print) and the new (web comics) quite well. The series presents material on the web and sells the compiled editions in print form, a model that's working quite well for a host of creators (Dairy of a Wimpy Kid being just one extremely successful example).
Today (as if you couldn't guess from the banner above), I'm talking about Tyler Page's series Nothing Better. The story is a slice of life tale filled with a mix of real life situations and humor. Here, we're presented with two very different roommates who meet for the first time as they share a room for their freshmen year of college. Jane is the more straight laced of the two. Katt is a free spirit looking for adventure. Both, in many ways are just starting to discover who they are and who they want to be, in other words, they're typical college freshmen. Together the two share a story that proves to be a somewhat situationally realistic and fun look back on those magic early days of college.
At first glance, the title struck me as a wholesome Strangers In Paradise kind of series. Here we're minus the gunplay, international plots and some of the angst that made Strangers In Paradise the classic series it was (yes, I was a fan). That's not saying that Nothing Better suffers in the comparison, it's just that my take that the characters reminded me of what a college age Katchoo and Francine might have been like had they encountered each other while still finding and discovering themselves. You might not see it, I did and that analogy won early points for the series with me.
In the first issue we're greeted by the awkwardness of the first day at college. You have the uncomfortable mix of a group of kids, many away from their families for the first time, coming together and being greeted by an exploding-with-school-pride-and-enthusiasm RA. You can see some early friendships emerge and then, arriving late to miss all the fuss (or make an dramatic entrance depending on your point of view), there's Katt. She quickly convinces Jane to blow off a welcome party and venture to a frat-like party. As is to be expected, the "I don't drink" Jane drinks far too much and has to be helped home by an apologetic Katt.
Sounds like your basic college themed story, doesn't it? Wondering what's so special about this story? It's the character development, the beat of humor, the emotion and the raw insecurity which emerges within some of the panels that makes this first issue stand out.
For me, I remember the days when I lived this experience (back in the late '80s) and it hits home. As Tyler writes this story, it proves to be one of those quality efforts where more than just the story matters. Here it's how it's told that makes the difference. Tyler really gets that freshmen experience and more impressively understands that awkward moment where you're not quite an adult, confused by the world and working to put it all together. His ability to write, add unexpected depth to the characters and take the reader through that journey of growing into a full life is impressive.
Issues of religion aren't taboo in this series either. The college in question is a Lutheran college and you can see the groundwork for a balanced discussion of religion as the two lead characters clash on the topic toward the end of the first issue. Both sides of the coin appear painted in a fair light which may promise a balanced discussion of a topic many in comics choose to simply avoid.
The art is quite good. It's has a bit of comic strip feel to it in spots, but doesn't lean to heavily on that take stylistically. It's expressive, character focused and well suited to the story. The art style is very reminiscent of Terry Moore (which most likely also fueled my early SIP comparison referenced above).
The issue itself is color covered with a black and white interior and the presentation is first rate.
Back in 2007, I bumped into Tyler (who was an Eisner nominee) at a convention and he shared a copy of Nothing Better #1 with me. This issue has actually been out for some time and was presented as an invitation to sample the story then try the webcomic. Since that time, it's held a spot on my "I liked that and want to write about it" list for some time. I'm glad I got the chance to talk about it today and encourage you to give the series a read (either on-line or in print). Personally, I plan to pick up Volume One of the series in print form very soon.
Learn more about the series by visiting www.nothing-better.com.
While checking out Tyler's blog for this review, I notice he and his wife are expecting
their first child in June so let me be the first Nothing Better review to offer congratulations!
