I’ve read this story before. Young adult male falls in with older, unavailable woman, experiences a broken heart, realizes it’s all okay though.

I think I’ve even read it in an indie comic, maybe even another published by Drawn and Quarterly. In other words, Seth doesn’t have anything original going here.

It’s not bad though. It’s a banal rendition of the story, but not in any way poorly told or whatnot. Seth just doesn’t give it any distinctive qualities. He tells the issue the same way he told the previous two, a simple recounting of events. Even the dramatic moments have a boring quality to them.

But last issue he filled with people and their lives, providing texture. Here… it’s just the object of the protagonist’s affection who has a life. The protagonist’s parents, for example, are featureless.

It should have been a much better issue, based on the previous.

CREDITS

Beaches, Part 2; writer, artist, colorist and letterer, Seth; publisher, Drawn & Quarterly.

Seth’s second issue isn’t as clearly intended to be autobiographical as the first. The protagonist this issue is Greg. Interestingly, he and the other “cool” male character–there’s a few uncool male characters–both have long, girly hair. The character’s so asexual in his narration, it’s sort of impossible to gauge the gender until someone refers to him by name.

So I’m not sure if Seth’s trying to make his readers pay attention and not take things for granted–like I assumed in the first issue–or if he just thinks cool guys look like girls.

It’s a little hard, also, to tell when Seth’s being lazy with the art. He doesn’t cheap on the panel count–he has at least nine a page–but occasionally one will seem a little unfinished.

The story is gradual again, Greg works at a restaurant, Seth introduces the coworkers and situations.

It’s nice.

CREDITS

Beaches; writer, artist, colorist and letterer, Seth; publisher, Drawn & Quarterly.

For the first issue, Seth does something kind of strange–where most series use the first issue to invite the reader, Seth uses it to distance him or her. Unless the reader was an eighties art school hipster, there’s going to be an immediate disconnect as Seth, the protagonist, isn’t the standard lead.

The story, introduced by Seth (the creator) and then epilogued by him too, is about Seth (the character) getting beat up for being gay. Except he’s not gay. In fact, he’s only in the situation because his girlfriend abandoned him for the night.

Clearly, Seth (the character) needed to be more comfortable staying in.

The issue follows the night, so casually there’s no foreshadowing to the violence, and some of the day after.

It’s particularly interesting because even though Seth (the creator) tells the reader about the storytelling process–it’s clear he’s telling the story for himself.

CREDITS

I Should’a Ran; writer, artist, colorist and letterer, Seth; publisher, Drawn & Quarterly.