Three Shadows

By Cyril Pedrosa

I am really happy with the publisher First Second (aka :01). They have been publishing some great comics that go in interesting directions. Scott McCloud in his Comics series described this medium as one with vast potential rarely lived up to. I came to that conclusion before ever reading his books, and I believe that :01 is one of those publishers who seeks out the innovators and gets them space on the shelf.

First Things: Pedrosa is French, and this is my first review of a European comic. Tin Tin isn't the only thing to come out of the old country, and I for one, am excited to see what they've been up all this time. The translation is seamless, and one would be hard pressed to guess it was originally written in another language. The tale might have some of an "old world" feel to it, but the subject matter is universal to the human condition.

Story: The story begins with a remote and merry agricultural family. Conflict comes to this Shangri La in the form of three silent figures who suddenly appear and start haunting the family. Soon they realizes that these three have come for the son, Joachim. The wife, Lise, soon accepts this. The father, Louis, is resolute to fight, flee, and do whatever it takes to hold back their relentless pursuers.

I didn't read the back flap until I finished the story, but there is one key piece of information back there: the motivation. It says that "Three Shadows was born out of the agony of [Pedrosa] watching his close friends' child die very young." Several of the story element are mystical and fantastic. I think this one statement unlocks understanding for the reader. All of the sudden it doesn't seem so cryptic anymore. This isn't a story that started out as "hey, wouldn't it be cool if..." but it is born out of the creator's own emotional struggle.

The Art: Pedrosa worked as an animator for Disney during the making of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules. The art shows some of the best from animation: lines imbued with flow and movement, and distinct, expressive character designs. I am at a loss to try and pin point the medium employed in Shadows. At first it looked like pencil, but I realized that some of the pages show clearly that brush work was involved. There is everything represented from intricate line work to thick swaths of black dry brushwork. It is hard to tell with reproduction, and this could possibly be a mixed-media work. Regardless, I can adamantly state: this guy can draw, er... paint... whatever. Brushwork by a talented hand is quite satisfying to view, and has a kind of personality that fits well when focusing on portraying emotions. Basically, the pictures are wonderful.

Themes: Pedrosa often enough breaks into surrealism in his art, emphasizing the downright unnatural and disorienting feeling of "wrongness" that accompanies death, especially the death of the young. It is more than death, but fear, anger, grief, and other strong emotion permeate this saga. Context is often swepted away to a bare minimum so that we, the readers, can enter deeper into what these characters are feeling. Make no mistake, this narrative is more about coping with death than the realities of death itself. The battles aren't physical ones (as much as the father would have liked them to be), but the internal ones of the heart. This is heavy stuff.

Something I find beautiful are all the moments that don't deal with the main concern of impending dissolution. Louis is relentless about protecting his son Joachim, but other cares manage to eek in through the cracks. The first time the father laughed again was like the sweet release after holding one's breath for too long. In the midst of all the fear and mistrust, there is compassion that finally offered out toward others. Interestingly enough, this kindness and fellowship is initiated by the boy. Children are often the salvation of adults.

There is plenty more, and without a doubt I say that this book will give the reader much to meditate on. I wouldn't be surprised, too, if it would be a support to those finding themselves overwhelmed by the hardships of loss.

Recommened: No doubt about it.

The Complete Peanuts: 1950-1952

by Charles Schulz

These Peanuts collections have been catching my eye for a time--seriously, whoever designed the covers did a great job (Fantagraphics). Anyway, 1950-1952 is the first in the collection, meaning this is the very beginning. That's right, the first time anyone ever saw this kooky kid called Charlie Brown, and a lovable beagle named Snoopy.

The Art: Getting right to it, one of the most striking things about this hefty collection, 287 pages of two years of a daily published comic strip, is to see the shift in Schulz's artwork. It is not a change from bad to good, but rather one of style. If you thought these kids had big heads, you need to see the first few months; in comparison, the later head designs look like golf balls . By the end of the book you realize that he was someone who constantly was revising and improving as an artist. On the last page there is still a lot of difference between the Snoopy that you're seeing and the one we are familiar with.

No arguing about it, Schulz's technique is superb; he is a master of the pen like few are anymore in our computer age. You can expect to see beautiful work on every page. He admits in the interview at the end of the book that he has made choices with Peanuts that he realized later were mistakes. My only issue with the art in this collection is probably one of those: for first several months after Lucy's appearance her eyes are rendered differently than the other characters. It is very off putting and even tempted me to skip some of the strips.

Minor complaints aside, Schulz can do more than make a pretty picture. He is just as good at using his artwork to tell a story as he is his words. Most of the time to two are working in tandem, but as the months go by there is an increasing number of strips that contain no dialogue. In one strip, Charlie Brown and Patty are playing cards. The first panel has Charlie lean over to peek at hers, then in the next she at his. In the third they both look at the same time, and in the fourth they both are looking quite embarrassed, their eyes downcast on their own cards.

Themes: Tackling all the themes that appear in this book would be ridiculous, besides, the book's afterword did a great job at it. Schulz does well at revealing the truths, often ugly, of human interaction in a meager four panels. He manages to be funny and relevant, which is not always easy.

These strips were written in the early 1950's but they rarely feel like it. Schulz is general enough, that his work was timeless from the beginning. He tapped into the basics of humans living in the ups and downs: fear, anger, and how our mood is so susceptible to changing circumstances. For example, Charlie Brown turns on Snoopy saying, "Stop following me!! All day long you've been following me around like a dog!" Snoopy is first shocked and then angry. Charlie Brown realizing what has has done continues, "Whoops! What have I said?!" Pleadingly he follows Snoopy, "I'm sorry, Snoopy... I spoke hastily! I'm sorry... it was just an expression..." Who hasn't been in a situation like that? These strips can function on two levels: you read them, you laugh, you move on, or, after laughing you pause and contemplate, learning a thing or two about yourself and others.

The Extras: As I mentioned above, the collection has a great afterword, titled, "The life and times of Charles M. Schulz," which helps the reader put a funny kid and his gaggle of cohorts into the perspective of what was going on at the time of writing, and the impact they made. The picture is painted that these sullen, struggling characters were like sweet relief in the choking, over-the-top optimism of the 1950's. The afterword's writer describes the 50's as being a time when it wasn't okay to feel any other way. Peanuts was a comforting jolt of realism for anyone who felt differently.

There is also a very intelligently conducted interview with Schulz done in 1987. It gives innumerable insights into the man and the reason behind his work. Interestingly enough, he never intended the strip to be a communication tool for spreading his philosophies of life. Schulz just focused on keeping it funny. He also hated the title Peanuts; he didn't choose it and felt it was undignified and made no sense. There is an introduction too, but I didn't read it so... no comment.

Recommended: You betcha.

P.S. Who ever heard of the character "Shermy"?