WET MOON, VOL. 1 REVIEW

[Alex Groff]

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/ind/oni/wetmoon1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/ind/oni/wetmoon1t.jpg" align=left hspace="5" alt="Wet Moon, vol. 1: Feeble Wanderings"></a>Reviewer: Alex groff ag_phlebas@yahoo.com
Quick Rating: Above Average
Story Title: Feeble Wanderings
Format: 170 p. graphic novel, $14.95
Try This If You Enjoy: Tim Burton, Twin Peaks

Suggested for Mature Readers

David Lynch goes to college.

Written and Illustrated By: Ross Campbell
Cleo's Diary Pages By: Jessica Calderwood
Design by: Keith Wood
Edited by: James Lucas Jones
Published by: Oni Press

I have to say: this is a hard book to review. Do I start by talking about its college setting the the realistic dialogue and character interaction that fills this book? But if I make it sound too true to live-- which it is-- then that would ignore the gothic overtures and horror undertones. On the one hand, I'm reminded of Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands... on the other hand, the Sundance film, Melvin Goes to Dinner. Perhaps David Lynch is the best balance: there's a bit of weirdness, a bit of normalcy, and a good amount of charm.

The story revolves around Cleo, an incredibly insecure college fresh(wo)man who spends the majority of her time dealing with problems entirely of her own creation. A fortune cookie she opens states, "Your stupidity will be your undoing." And true to form, she is accosted by her sister, Penny, for stealing a fortune cookie intended for an installment piece. She is silently in love with someone she doesn't even feel confident enough to talk to, while she downplays another person's love for her. Fragments of her journal entries and silent moments of her trying to change herself in front of a mirror only deepen the sense of attachment we (or at least I) feel towards Cleo. She, like many of us, feels constantly out of her depth, and her awkward friendships and insecurities only add to that. Still, the effect is not depressing, but rather adorable.

Cleo is surrounded by a cast of equally rich friends and enemies who-- while they get less page-time-- still manage to seem well-developed. Trilby, for example, is an over-the-top extrovert who hides her love of Star Trek behind a punk hairstyle and an outspoken attitude. In Trilby's presence, turning down chocolates can become an arguable offense, even if Trilby herself doesn't care. "Dah! Why ddin't you jus' say that in the first place?! Look how much we could have avoided. I don't get it!! Why would you do that?? Do you think I owuld persecute you for cuttin' down on chocolate?! Did you think I'd make fat jokes or somethin'?! What, jus' tell me!!" She is willing to offend friends and enemies alike, but is random and exciting enough that friends keep her around anyway.

Trilby finds her compliment in Audrey, a girl so passive that she can't confront her roommate about his stealing her vegan soup. The soup issue itself takes up five pages and feels as if it could have been out of an episode of Seinfeld. In other words, it feels like a bit of our lives. But if I sound as if you'll be bored, don't worry. Characters like Natalie, the primadonna of the art/goth world of Wet Moon, seem to exist solely so we can dislike them; yet at the same time, we have the character of Mara, a Prodigy look-alike who is violent, moody and, at the heart of it all, deeply insecure. You can't agree with Mara's actions, but you can sympathize. These characters are enhanced by dialogue that is sharp and natural, reveling in its college setting.

And then the story takes a left turn towards weird with Fern and the dead girl. Ferm is a bald, underdeveloped woman with piercings along her back and only two thirds of her left arm. Beyond her physical oddities, Fern seems shrouded in mystery, whether she's wandering like a reptile through the swamps or . And at the same time, we have a girl who I'm calling the dead girl because she looks like a zombie, minus the brain-eating. Her name is Fall and her role is completely unknown, but it makes for an interesting subplot. And finally, there is a girl who seems like the exact double of Cleo in temperament and decor, if not in hair style. All of this inspires a great deal of curiosity and draws the reader into a story where, while not a lot happens, there seems to be a great deal of potential.

Earlier pictures and stories for Wet Moon were often done with thick brushes and ink washes; however for the book itself, Campbell worked largely with digital greytones and a much finer brush. The result is some of the finest linework I've seen in a while. Panels focused around the characters have a stark feel that reminds me of Adrian Tomine's work. When the art shifts to the town of Wet Moon, the greytones do a fine job of giving the Deep South its moss-filled oaks and verdant swamps. The only complaint I have about the art is that there are places where the greytones feel awkward. If you look at the top of page 78, page 90-91. I don't want to use the work muddled or muddy, because the image is clear... but the broadstroke shading seems to take away from an otherwise strong body of work. Ignoring my three-page gripe, Wet Moon is beautiful work.

So what I'm left holding is a book that is absolutely beautiful to look at, filled with intriguing characters and sharp dialogue. Is that enough for fifteen dollars? That really depends on your patience as a reader. Campbell is working on his next book as we speak, but it's not Wet Moon, vol. 2; instead, we will see The Abandoned, vol. 1 from Tokyopop before we see the next chapter of this story. Not a great deal happens in Wet Moon, vol 1, and while the suspense and character interaction are both outstanding, a year is a long time to maintain that suspense.

However, if the biggest complaint one can hold against this book is that we have to wait too long for the next installment... well, that ain't too bad.

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