Sunday Comics: Fervor

Fervor, by Sean Dietrich

Format: Single issue (colloquially known in some comics circles as a "one-shot")

Content Rating: R, for language, prominent drug use and abuse, and sexual discussion.

Plot: Okay, let's talk for a second. Though I've said before I wouldn't spotlight comics I didn't care for (as I've also said, I like to usually reserve that job for the eloquent Linkara), but...well, I'm retracting that, for a change of pace. This won't become a regular thing--Sunday Comics is not meant as a criticism corner--but know that it is now capable of happening. I'll put some sort of little notice in like this when it's one of those, though, just so y'know. We good? Alright, we good.
So the plot is...um...well, that's my problem with Fervor. I can't quite figure out what the plot is supposed to be. And that's, as you can gather, quite a big problem when you're trying to tell a story, especially a story that's stated to have a message in it somewhere. But, I'll give you what of the plot I can at least figure out: it's the story of a reckless, wealthy corporate fatcat who's given up on life and resigned himself to the hedonism his paycheck affords; a cocaine-addicted prostitute-slash-dancer who the previous character ends up taking home one night; and a shy, depressed, exceedingly heavyset young woman whose connection to the other two I'm still trying to figure out. I think I might have finally gotten it after my sixth reading or so, but it's still shaky and I'm of the opinion that it shouldn't take a single issue of comic that many readings to wrap your brain around the basic plot (and since it might be considered a twist, and therefore a spoiler--sorry, no divulging what I think it is). If it were about subtle nuances, things that would be missed on the first or second time through, that'd be fine. In fact, several readings later I'm still discovering new details I missed in Jimmy Corrigan, one of my favourite graphic novels ever. But I understood the plot just fine the first time through, unlike this. And I don't think (and don't hope) that it's just that I'm somehow dense for this occasion--I have a Bachelor's in literature and I'm still not "getting it."

Thoughts: I want to like Sean Dietrich's comics work. I really do. I like the crazy, visual-metaphor-heavy, dark-surrealist art style he uses for them. It's his writing that screws it up and even that could be fixed if he just handed it off to a few everyman for some proofreading--the issue's not that he's necessarily a bad writer, but that he's trying waaay too hard to sound flowy and poetic, enough so that you get lost. He'd benefit from narrating a bit more simply at times, particularly at key plot points. Also, he has an unfortunate affinity for pretentious, self-absorbed ramblings about how awesome he is at the beginning of most of his works. That kinda spoils things too. Just so it doesn't seem like I'm making a blanket statement about all his work based off a single issue, I've also read his graphic novel Industriacide and had the exact same issues with it. I'd like to reread that at some point, too, to see if my opinion still holds.

[Holden Out.]

Afterword: Hey! It's been a while. Sorry. I've been busy. And lazy. But mostly busy. Here's to more frequent updates as a more relaxed period of time approaches. I see I've gained some new followers in my absence, so to those folks especially: sorry about the lack of new content! Let's fix that for you guys. And for everyone else.
For America.