Those odd snatches you get of other people's lives: seeing someone walk into the diner with a different person than the last ten times, hearing someone find out bad news over the phone while in line at the grocery store, etc. Those seem to be the building blocks of Alex Robinson's graphic novel Tricked. This new work shows Robinson refining techniques used in his indie real-world epic Box Office Poison and using them with a new, more focused storytelling that helps move this rich and rewarding story of six unrelated seemingly people's lives to a conclusion that may not come as a complete surprise, but still manages to capture the reader's attention.
There's an intuitive nature to Robinson's storytelling and dialogue that reminds me, oddly enough, of a dramatic take on Seinfeld or, perhaps, a slightly lighter version of Deadwood's labyrinthine, layered plots. The balancing act performed her with six leads (Caprice is a waitress1, Phoebe's a teenager in search of her real father, Steve is the obsessive, unbalanced fan of rock star Ray Beam who hires Lily seemingly out of the blue, and Nick forges sports autographs for a mobbed-up Russian while telling his wife he's still working at "the firm"...phew!) is admirable. Each not only gets their share of story time as far as the plot goes, but we also find ourselves aghast when they make poor decisions and happy when good things happen to them. An honest emotional connection to the proceedings is found in Robinson's deceptively simple exposition that's never overwrought or blatant in its manipulation of the audience.
There's some wonderful comics storytelling in here - full page shots of characters explaining their actions to one another that don't kill the story's movement because there's a level of detail that takes what would be a pin-up if handled by most artists and turns it into a Jim Jarmusch moment2. I think that Robinson's handling of Steve's downward slide, in particular, is worthy of notice. Long monologues that could be interminable are instead showcases for the character; snapshots of his life are presented and even if I found him despicable, I still wanted to know what happened next.
Robinson's work seems to never be praised as much as it should, even if Wizard repeatedly told their fanbase of the goodness that was Box Office Poison3 That shouldn't matter to you, the discerning, handsome (or beautiful) reader - in a few years you can claim you knew him when he wasn't a sell-out if you purchase the book. For $20, this is a fine introduction for neophytes to his work as well as a comfortable return to form for those who fell in love with BOP.
1She bears an uncanny resemblance to my girlfriend, which is disconcerting and kinda hot at the same time.
2There's another filmmaking nod that I couldn't help but notice. Page 308 reminded me very strongly of a certain shot on Fargo.
3Maybe it was because it was Wizard making with the kindness�
There's an intuitive nature to Robinson's storytelling and dialogue that reminds me, oddly enough, of a dramatic take on Seinfeld or, perhaps, a slightly lighter version of Deadwood's labyrinthine, layered plots. The balancing act performed her with six leads (Caprice is a waitress1, Phoebe's a teenager in search of her real father, Steve is the obsessive, unbalanced fan of rock star Ray Beam who hires Lily seemingly out of the blue, and Nick forges sports autographs for a mobbed-up Russian while telling his wife he's still working at "the firm"...phew!) is admirable. Each not only gets their share of story time as far as the plot goes, but we also find ourselves aghast when they make poor decisions and happy when good things happen to them. An honest emotional connection to the proceedings is found in Robinson's deceptively simple exposition that's never overwrought or blatant in its manipulation of the audience.There's some wonderful comics storytelling in here - full page shots of characters explaining their actions to one another that don't kill the story's movement because there's a level of detail that takes what would be a pin-up if handled by most artists and turns it into a Jim Jarmusch moment2. I think that Robinson's handling of Steve's downward slide, in particular, is worthy of notice. Long monologues that could be interminable are instead showcases for the character; snapshots of his life are presented and even if I found him despicable, I still wanted to know what happened next.
Robinson's work seems to never be praised as much as it should, even if Wizard repeatedly told their fanbase of the goodness that was Box Office Poison3 That shouldn't matter to you, the discerning, handsome (or beautiful) reader - in a few years you can claim you knew him when he wasn't a sell-out if you purchase the book. For $20, this is a fine introduction for neophytes to his work as well as a comfortable return to form for those who fell in love with BOP.
1She bears an uncanny resemblance to my girlfriend, which is disconcerting and kinda hot at the same time.
2There's another filmmaking nod that I couldn't help but notice. Page 308 reminded me very strongly of a certain shot on Fargo.
3Maybe it was because it was Wizard making with the kindness�
