Blue Monday is by definition a
teen-dramedy involving four main characters: Bleu, Clover, Victor, and Alan,
all of whom are engaged in lusting after one another (sans same-sex
inclinations) with a cast of ancillary characters that play entertaining
background roles throughout the storylines.
But don’t let the teen-dramedy aspect of it through you off, this isn’t
“Twilight” (which is unintentionally a dramedy). It would be more akin to the first three
“American Pie” movies, not in the story at all, but rather in the sense that
the characters have character and you
feel involved in what’s going on.
Now,
if you’re not a fan of black & white comics then you’re about to be
disappointed because Blue Monday
is, other than the covers, entirely done in black & white. But if you don’t like that style of comic
then that means that you most likely don’t like The
Tick,
Strangers in Paradise or Bone(in its original
form) and that calls into question your right as a human being to even read
comics.
There
are a number of reasons why Blue
Monday is a book you should run out and pick up. First, it’s fun. Most people turn to independent comics
because they are looking for some relief from the muscled-up, spandex-wearing
superheroes commonly found in mainstream books, so the fact that Blue Monday finds ways to be
compelling and engaging while not taking itself too seriously is a nice
combination of elements. Second, every
few pages Clugston-Major adds songs to the soundtrack of the book and I have to
say it’s a pretty great list. For
instance the first song listed in Absolute Beginners is The Smiths – “There is a Light that Never Goes Out”,
which is a fairly prominent band but the list of songs and groups ventures into
the obscure with serious regularity.
For
those comic book readers amongst you who look for more surface-type reasons to
read a comic, those who read Gen 13
for the “awesome story,” please see picture inserted below. Despite the fact that this comic is written
and drawn by a woman there is a heavy dose of scantily clad ladies (for
instance one character who seems to be perpetually in a rather sheer nightie.)
Clugston-Major
has done other works along the way but she has never abandoned Blue Monday and new issues still
come out with infrequent frequency.
Thankfully, though, unlike some titles that post in Diamond and then
miss their deadline, I’ve not seen that happen with this title.
So,
my friends, go Bin Diving and find this and other gems!
Until
next time,
This
is Bin Fodder Guru Tim Blacksmith signing off!
