I Got Wood. Again. Luckily, Symptoms LOCALized This Time.

Local is yet another series by Brian Wood (DMZ, Demo) worthy of picking up. Ryan Kelly brings regular people to life with a simple, very indy-looking style. It's simple, and yet it isn't. At all.

Local is just a comic about regular people in regular cities around the US. It's tough to classify, since each issue of the three currently available has been completely different from the last. The first, a stream of consciousness piece; the second, a story about an unorthodox relationship; and the third, a kind of Behind The Music tale. Each story takes place in a different, smallish US town. The first was Portland, OR, then we went to Minneapolis, MN, followed by Richmond, VA. If you live in any of those places (which I don't), it's sure to ring bells, as Ryan Kelly uses actual businesses from the towns as backdrops.

The variety of the stories themselves, as I mentioned before, makes Local a difficult comic to classify. It definitely isn't your typical comic, as it doesn't really have a plot; there certainly isn't a cohesive plot between issues, though one might develop in future issues. This is both a good and a bad thing for the comic: while it keeps things fresh and interesting each issue, people will inevitably like certain issues more than others. I personally didn't really care for the third issue as much as the other two, as I'm not in a band nor do I have any inclination whatsoever to be in one in the future. However, I thought the first two were great, and all three have been deep stories. One might be tempted to blow through an issue in a quick read, but then, by the end, you realize you've missed a lot. There's a huge amount of detail packed into both the story and art, even though it initially doesn't quite seem that way: the stories aren't deep at first glance, but once you get into them, they're much more than initially thought.

There is, therefore, really only one recommendation I can make: pick up an issue and see if you like it. If it isn't quite to your liking, maybe try another one, since it's sure to be something different. The order doesn't really matter, so pick which one sounds good to you: #1, a girl thinking about how things could play out depending on how she acts; #2, a story about a stalker-boyfriend who breaks into a girl's apartment and leaves pictures of himself; or #3, about the trials and tribulations of a band and, more importantly, the people behind the band. They all offer something different, and, as is usual with Brian Wood, his characters make the comic work. They're all well developed, and you instantly know exactly who they are since they're just like real people in the real world. If you're looking for explosions and capes, you're SOL; if you want a change of pace, Local's the thing for you.

End ratings:

Story: 8/10 Again, tough to rate, since they're all different. They're all good, but you'll agree or disagree depending upon your personal interests

Art: 8/10 Expressive, stylized, very consistent. You'll probably either like it or hate it, since it has that...'indy' feel to it. Tough to describe, but that's why pictures are worth a thousand words.

Enjoyability: Really depends on the issue. You don't really get the whole picture until you read the whole thing, but then you're always glad you read it.

Pick up a copy of one of the issues next time you stop by your comic shop and see if it's your thing. It's different, but in a good kinda way.

--The Almeister