January/February 2024 Edition of Devin's Chicago Comics Book Club Digest

Always Never by Jordi Lafebre

Happy New Year, everyone! I promise that will be the last time I say that. We had a pretty good turnout for a night with subzero temperatures (with wind chill). Thanks again to all who made it! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at an empty bar, but we had a lively discussion and ended the night trading video game recommendations.

I enjoyed this book so much, I was actually a bit nervous about other people not liking it. Lol Thankfully, this was mostly misplaced. Those who were lukewarm felt the characters weren’t likable enough to overcome what they felt was a betrayal of the main character’s husband (poor Giuseppe!), but this led to a conversation about culture shock and European versus American values. The art was universally praised, with many comparing it to Disney/Pixar films. Pointing out that the cover was actually the main characters reflected in a puddle at their feet won somebody over, too. One person who didn’t attend confided in me that the cartoony style detracted from the serious subject matter for them, though. Without knowing much about the original text, the translation by Montana Kane was considered excellent, since none of the dialogue ever felt clunky or poorly phrased. I admired the central bridge metaphor and the gentle humor overall. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, February 21 to discuss Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life.

What We're Reading

February 21 - Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley

March 20 - Come Home, Indio by Jim Terry

There are several different versions of next month’s selection available both from the Chicago Public Library and on hoopla, but there are more physical copies available of the color version that came out in 2012 so let’s all try to read that one. Either way, we’ll only be reading Volume 1. Reserve your physical copies asap, too, since it looks like we weren’t the only ones who decided to read it! Lol

That BEST* Comics of 2023 list was perfectly timed! We discussed various titles towards the end of our meeting, narrowing down to ten possibilities. I’ll be sending out a survey by the middle of next week for Spring/Summer 2024.

Shameless Self-Promotion

I’m gearing up for the next comics anthology I’m in, the crowdfunding campaign for which might be sometime in March. I’ll be available for podcast appearances, if anyone is looking to fill out their production schedule! XD I’ve ordered physical copies of CyberSync, and can’t wait to show those off when they arrive.

I finished the script for one of the 24-page one-shots that I’ve been working on, and the artist has shown me thumbnails for the first six pages. I’m excited to share more about this project when it’s closer to being finished.

The animated project I mentioned last month is proceeding. It’ll be five short episodes (less than five minutes each) and eventually posted to my YouTube channel. I’ve got a couple of other projects I’m developing, too, including more comics work and a short story that I’m hoping to submit to the Indiana Review by the end of next month. Fingers crossed!

About What We’ve Read

Always Never was nominated for an Eisner for Best U.S. Edition of International Material, but lost to a volume of Blacksad, another comic with a Spanish creative team published in France. It also was shortlisted for a Sophie Castille Award and won a Silver International Manga Award. You can learn more about Jordi Lafebre and his work from his Instagram page and his personal website.

Lafebre’s Instagram actually inspired this Boing Boing article praising his work. His book Je Suis Leur Silence (I Am Their Silence) was nominated for the Fnac-France Inter Prix de BD, which ultimately went to Les Guerres de Lucas (The Wars of Lucas) written by Laurent Hopman with art by Renaud Roche.

If you’re wondering what happened to the NEWS section, I decided to make it its own thing. Don’t worry, it will be back with a vengeance in two weeks!

Some Thoughts on the One(s) Who Got Away

In 2006, I moved to Chicago for a fresh start. I was still figuring myself out and learning my way around. After a couple of weeks, I worked up the nerve to go to a gay bar. I was so anxious, I forgot my ID at home, but the bouncer said I could show him my bus pass to get in. I ordered a drink and awkwardly stood around, but I caught the eye of a guy on the dance floor. He danced over to me, and we started talking. Eventually, he invited me back to his hotel room.

He was staying in a hotel because he was a member of the touring company of Mama Mia! and was only in town for a couple of months. We ended up spending nearly every night together. He invited me to the cast Christmas party. I love you’s may or may not have been exchanged. When the show was coming to a close, he asked me to follow him to St. Louis, which was their next stop. I had already signed a lease on a new apartment and started a new job. We promised to write, but never did. I haven’t been able to listen to ABBA the same way since.

In 2012, I was trying to put my life back together. My first serious boyfriend had broken up with me and I had to move out of our apartment. I had lost my job, had no money, and had gotten into trouble with the IRS. At this rock-bottom moment, an old friend reached out and invited me to see his new apartment.

This friend was someone I had known from before the relationship that had just ended. One of his friends didn’t like me very much, so we’d never gone out for as much as a cup of coffee together despite mutual interest. But as we stood on his high-rise balcony overlooking all of Old Town, years of sexual tension finally came bubbling to the surface and we made out until the sun went down. When were finished, I had to go. As I prepared to leave, he told me, “I would have treated you better than your ex did.” He ended up marrying a doctor.

In 2018, I had been married for less than a year. I was on my way to a friend’s Trivia Night at a bar in Andersonville when I heard someone call out my name. I looked, and it was a boyfriend from five years ago, someone I had started dating in the wake of everything in my life falling apart. We’d had an intense, passionate relationship. He was the only person I’d ever dated who enjoyed the same movies as I did. When I reconnected with an old friend and told them I’d gotten married, they assumed I’d married this guy. But after only a few months, he’d completely disappeared.

Now he was standing in front of me waiting for a bus. We got caught up. It turned out he was four and a half years sober, so I got some closure on how and why our relationship had ended five years ago. I told him about my new job, and he was happy that things had turned around for me. When his bus arrived, I leaned in to give him a hug. He kissed me on the lips, looked me right in the eye, and said, “You were the one I was supposed to fall in love with.” Then he got on the bus, and the bus drove away. I never saw him again.

I’m not sharing these stories to brag. If anything, I understand I’ve been in love more than my fair share. And who’s to say any of these relationships would have worked out if time had been on our side? I tend to doubt that they would have, to be honest. Perhaps my enjoyment of Always Never makes a lot more sense now.

Last October, I was on a flight to Japan with my husband when we hit some bad turbulence. Everyone, including the crew, was ordered to stay in their seats with their belts buckled. The pilot said, “Everyone stay seated! We’ll have to go by the honors system to make sure everything’s secure for landing,” which was not encouraging. The plane dropped hundreds of feet in the air, according to the highly suspect map on the back of the seat in front of me.

I was drenched in sweat and my husband took my hand and held it too tight but I didn’t care. The only thought in my head was, “At least I’m going to die holding hands with the man I love.”

Thankfully, we landed safely in Japan (obviously, I guess) and made it back safely to Chicago. I thought that was a semi-sweet place to end things. Feel free to share any thoughts or comments below! Do you have a favorite romance comic? Do you prefer the bittersweet, unrequited kind or the fulfilled, “happily ever after” kind? Please subscribe if you haven’t already. Thanks for reading. See you next month for Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley!