It’s all borrowed time.
Creative Staff:
Story: Margaret Atwood, Ken Steacy
Art: Ken Steacy
What They Say:
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Handmaid’s Tale comes this historical fiction graphic novel tracing the Golden Age of comic books. Al Zurakowski is living his dream to be a cartoonist working on his own creation, Oursonette, but the demands of his publisher starting to take a toll. Add tough news regarding his brother are fighting the war in Europe, and the weight of the world is proving difficult for Al. That said, his real-life struggles translate well to fuel his creative endeavors.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening issue, and this issue, of War Bears is a certain kind of challenge for me. I really like the story overall, the characters, and the history that it’s giving us of making comics in Canada in the 1940’s. Ken Steacy’s artwork is simply gorgeous throughout whether it’s the storyline side or the Oursonette material which goes in its own distinctive direction. But the Oursonette material really is just kind of hard to read because of how it works in the style of old with some modern tweaks, resulting in something that I just can’t quite connect with. Steacy captures it all well and there are some great moments that resonate visually, but it’s a hard read because I’ve had a hard time going back to comics from this era in general.
The story this time around shows some good progress with how Oursonette is being received as the sales are going up well and it’s almost being competitive with some of the bigger houses out there. Gloria’s very pleased and even loves how Alain layered the backstory with Francophone details in order to expand the interest in the character in a place they normally don’t get many sales from. That said, she’s still pushing Alain hard with deadlines in a way that really pushes him close to illness, especially as he’s also working on things like fan club elements, advertisements, and more. Mike’s frustrated by all of it to some degree but he’s still keeping his head down in his own way while getting shots in on others wherever he can.
This installment does provide for some changes that will impact the next issue as time goes on. A death in the family is going to make a really big impact on the book itself but it also puts more pressure on Alain’s family considering how his brother was viewed. We also learn a bit about Gloria’s brother that was lost in combat a few hours earlier and this turns so close into an actual romantic encounter of some sort that it felt like it went further than intended. But it does add some good tension and pressure to the work dynamic and just the confusion it creates within Alain. Which is only intensifying as the problems of a resource-intensive war takes a further toll on the business with layoffs coming and a potential drawdown of the embargo on American comics and magazines, which will essentially eradicate the little thriving domestic market.
In Summary:
I feel bad in that the Oursonette material isn’t connecting for me because it’s so well-produced in story and artwork but at the same time I’m thoroughly enjoying the rest of the book. Alain’s story is a familiar one to many who have read about creators over the decades but it resonates because of the honest approach. I love the details of how the war is impacting everything, the rough relationship Alain has with Mike, and the potential of something with Gloria who gets fleshed out well here with new details of her own past. It’s a very good read that has me wanting more of all of their stories and especially more of Ken Steacy’s vision of this city during this time with the look that it has. It’s simply beautiful.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 3rd, 2018
MSRP: $4.99
