Strangers in Paradise

Katchoo and Francine are roomates, and Katchoo has a crush on Francine. Francine thinks she loves Freddie who is only out to get what he can, which he can't since Francine won't sleep with him. David is in love with Katchoo, but she hates men. Thus begins Strangers in Paradise which is a tightly scripted graphic comic that is now being released in a paperpack book series. In volume one we learn the secret of Katchoo's past, and the three main characters struggle with their feelings for each other. Having been written for comics, similar to 19th century novels of Dickens and Dumas that began life as serializations in the magazines of the time, the plot keeps coming up with surprises. In book form this comes across as lots of plot twists and surprising revelations. The drawings are fantastically well-drawn and expressive, and they are broken up by occasional pages of poetry and text (as if the artist got tired of drawing in her rush to fill in detail and get back to the story). Despite the strong characterization, the true hero of the book is Love, the motivator and inner spark of all the main characters. In reality the book is about the healing power of Love. The title comes from a play of the same name that Francine was in while she was in high school. The book provides a flashback to the stage when one of the actors is saying "Without Love, we're never more than Strangers in Paradise."

Terry's story is constantly on the verge of being overcome by it's soap-opera tendencies and it's editorless meanderings, but that stark fact still remains that Katchoo, Francine and David are probably the three most believable and engaging characters you're going to find in contemporary fiction (in any media). He hold his characters reverently, and sees life well. Strangers is extremely gripping when it dabbles in the ordinary, day to day heartache of caring about friends and family, which more than makes up for it's weakness when grasping at mob-related international suspense. Compulsive reading. And don't be put off by the goofiness of the first few issues/chapters. It takes on a life of it's own, it just takes Terry a few months to pull of that miracle.

If you try to read this series in the individual comic issues, you won't get nearly half of what you get in these pocket book series. With individual issues, you have to look for the correct volume as well as issue numbers. Here, the story is perfectly laid out. We get a long look at the characters of Francine, Katchoo, and David and their development over a period of time. This is lost when reading the indiviual issues. I have to say that the writing is top notch with every conceivable twist and turn. I found it hard to put down and was glad when volume 2 came out. Volume three hits the racks next week and will certainly find it's way into my collection.

I read this after the Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 2, so it is only now that all the niches fit together and this wonderful series is laid out before me. The strength of this series is undoubtedly its characterisation. Very few comics have such a powerful and realistic portrayal. 'Strangers in Paradise' is an ode to the hidden depth and powerful beauty of women, irrespective of size etc. I think that is such an important message in contemporary times, and this series is incredibly empowering to actually read. The art is beautiful and detailed and the storyline is gripping and completely addictive. This is a particularly good value buy, since all the 'Strangers in Paradise' books are correlated. The compilation is also an excellent way of developing a depth of understanding and appreciation for its entirity, while reading each edition tends to segement the series. The pocket book size is also wonderful and little, but meaty enough to have long hours curled up reading. I am beginning to develop a few dislikes to the series, but certainly not enough to give it anything but five stars. Primarily, I think Katchoo is almost a caricature of herself, and her repetitive anger bursts are somewhat irritating and more aligned with the comic 'Hothead Paisan'. Undoubtedly, Francine is the better more realistic more developed character. Irrespective of this, 'Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 1' is a neatly correlated engrossing saga of friendship and so much more. Highly recommended.

Strangers in Paradise is a comic series that's been running for over a decade now, published on a roughly bi-monthly schedule. No superheroes, no spandex, just real human drama. The characters and settings are believable but at the same time filled with dramatic possibilities. The first few issues and storylines feel somewhat forced and even juvenile and predictable at times, but it was the beginning of a series when the writer (Terry Moore) was attempting to establish complex characters and dynamics. This Pocket Book is a great way for new readers to jump onto this title. The clean, consistent artwork will draw you in, and the excellent writing and pacing will hook you for sure. Not a series to be missed by anyone looking for a serious literary masterpiece. The collected format is great as each issue flows very suddenly into the next.