(Photo Courtesy of Ballantine Books)I’m sure we’ve all wondered what we could do with the power to change the past. Fix a mistake with an ex, skip that overtime shift to see a show or even say sorry when you should have. There’s a ton of reasons to alter what went on back then, but the consequences could be a bit grim.
"Seconds" is the latest graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley, known for the cult hit Scott Pilgrim series. What "Seconds" lacks in Pilgrim's fight scenes and game references, it instead hearkens back to some of the dramatics that permeated O’Malley’s first book, "Lost At Sea," while adding a bit of science fiction flair.
The book follows the story of Katie, a successful chef who for the most part has the respect of her peers, despite her overconfidence and bouts of immaturity. The titular restaurant she raised is doing well, and she has ambitions to open another. But an ex who leaves her flustered and make-out sessions with the head chef she’s training aren’t making things easier. That’s when a slightly disheveled girl named Lis shows her a way to rewrite her mistakes. As follows:
- Write your mistake
- Ingest one mushroom
- Go to sleep
- Wake anew.
In the years after the Scott Pilgrim series, O’Malley’s art has taken a new turn while still managing to feel familiar. While some of the visual wordplay is still around, his characters have taken on a manga-styled, yet mature look. Scott Pilgrim’s characters in comparison seem rushed with minor detail, but that was done to evoke the constant sense of action in the settings.
"Seconds" strongly leans on faces to push the story, and their gravitas is felt whether the panels are comedic or emotional. Colors, filled by Nathan Fairbairn, consistently push the flair of the book further, while the major use of blacks and red deftly set the tone for some of the major scenes.
The plot is fairly predictable if you've ever seen or read a time-altering story about someone trying to make a change. Things happen, things are good, then bad, then... something else altogether. O'Malley doesn't alter that concept, but presents it differently with a supernatural edge that gives him a few more avenues to take, such as mushrooms (of all things) being a machination of the rewinds.
Either that, or it's a play on mushrooms being (insert drug joke here).
Even if she is immature, Katie as a main character never broke into the realm of annoyance to me. She's intelligent, but desires having things her way and making things perfect, which is a catalyst for her ego. Said desires become some of the funnier and more gut-wrenching parts of the story, and unlike the world of Pilgrim — where characters took the more fantastical things at face value (robots, bad guys dissolving into coins upon death are no big deal) — reactions to the more otherworldy parts of the tale hearken back to the emotional bits of "Lost at Sea." It's an awkward explanation, but going further would go into spoiler territory.
"Seconds" proves that O'Malley is more than Mr. Scott Pilgrim. No one has called him that officially, but you catch my meaning. A likable lead and fantastic art make surround a page-turning story, even if it's a bit predictable. Pilgrim and "Lost at Sea" fans should easily eat this up, but it's still good for folks that are looking for something new dive into. It's definitely worth your time.
Reach the reporter at djulienr@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @legendpenguin
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