By Alison Marek (Piranha Press — an imprint of DC Comics)
No ISBN:
This is a lyrical and moving fable about loss and acceptance told in a faux niavist style. Or if you wanted to be less poncey, Alison Marek constructs a simple tale that has the feel of augmented semi-autobiography.
Miriam is the beautiful child of a world famous if emotionally troubled model. Her earliest memories are of being a model herself, or at the very least, a fashion accessory. When her mother marries an ugly but wealthy publishing tycoon she is packed off to boarding school but actually prefers it to her previous life.
When her mother dies and her step-father remarries, rather than discard or ignore her, the newlyweds want keep Miriam with them, but still she is unhappy. All her life something has been missing, and the little girl can’t even define what it is.
Drawn in a child-like series of black and white images, this reductionist quest for fulfilment is a stark yet sentimental tale tinged with bittersweet longing and a little regret. When comics are nearly all about big action, belly-laughs or shock and awe, it’s gratifying to see something of subtlety and reverie captured in a medium that can so effectively depict it.
Not a weepie, nor surreal, this is contemplative and rewarding work.
© 1989 Alison Marek. All Rights Reserved.