I’m
shifting here slightly from my current trend of reading obscure 80s indie comic
titles to reading an obscure indie comic from the early 2000s. Private Beach first began being
published in the 1995 with seven issues swiftly following, before (like most
indies) ending on a cliffhanger with no resolution. Now decades later, all of
the issues have been collected and a thirty page ending given. Also included
are various shorts staring the characters and set in the same universe.
While
I never read the comic while it was first published, I always like when
creators are allowed to go back and wrap up old series like this, as Alan Moore
was able to do with Lost Girls. For
those who might be interested, the ending here does not wrap up all the
oddities neither does it explain the mysterious weirdness crawling behind the
scenes of the series. It is simply an ending. One which will probably not
satisfy, but does leave the door open for future stories in the Trudyverse - should
there be any demand.
Essentially,
it is the story of Trudy and her semi-hipster pals making their late Gen X way
through life with wry observations about life, dead-end jobs, with some
sinister weirdness creeping in around the edges of the page. The characters are
likeable and most of the action is light, in that breezy style common back in
the day (perhaps popularized by Preacher)
where the overall plot was almost considered secondary to the characters
realistic interaction with each other. This might be just as well, as the
resolution will probably not satisfy.
Despite
that, the book is very enjoyable and blends art with text and story
beautifully. The only criticism is that two of the characters are so similar
looking, I got them confused occasionally. The author has gone on to more mainstream
work, as well he should, his talent certainly deserves to be spread about.
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