An original graphic novel, Sunburn, glows warmly from Image Comics this week. And the timing is perfect: as the northern hemisphere cools down, we long for those long days of sun and sea air. Let’s “book” a holiday!
Sunburn is an apt title for this one, this long-form (228 pages, full colour) story of a teenage girl who is given a chance to vacation in Greece, away from her UK family for the first time. It comes with complications or drama, this gift that has fallen from the sky. Rachel is staying in Greece with friends of the family, a young couple who seem to be at loose ends themselves, partying every night with the same old people. They’re encouraging her to wear less and drink more! But why? Oh wait, there is a young man around, who is introduced to Rachel.
We question writer Andi Watson’s characters’ motives. The dialogue, so ambiguous and innocuous. What is everyone up to, and why does Rachel feel so uneasy? And the art? Simon Gane’s is detailed but in a wonderfully hand-drawn way. It’s lots of rocks and water and buildings and people. And the book design itself, giving us the unexpected right from the very start, where even the indicia is tilted; the book credits canted here and there. Take it for granted that ’nothing is on the level’.
The drawings are done in black line, with spotted black sparingly applied. The faces are quirky, the poses feeling natural. The scenery is stunning, the blue azure skies, the white of the buildings gleaming, shining in the sun. This book makes your pulse pick up with its sculptural scenics, and forces you to submit to the calming rhythm of the narrative, one that takes its time to peek out from the shadows. It’s a good read, breathtakingly rendered and full of below-the-surface drama.
Image Comics, Sunburn, $19.99 for 228 pages, drama/romance, Teen Plus rating
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