When You Can't Take What You've Been Taking Any Longer
There are situations when the choices we've made seem too unkind to incorporate into our lives. Entire days when you're aware of how wrong everything's gone, that fill you with a dissociative desire and make you eager to chase after whatever distraction makes itself available. Image's "The Infinite Vacation" addresses these moments of fragility, employing comics' beloved shattered multiverse trope as the perfect therapy for broken psychologies, sleekly presented in today's insta-consumerist maxim that "There's an app for that." If you're keen on losing your sense of identity, you can buy into a whole other reality, one where you didn't spill the coffee this morning, or one where the girl didn't get away. In its first issue, the story deftly highlights the dangers of fugue and the frustration that grows out of being human, that uncomfortable distinction between knowing what we are and what we want to be.
The first thing that struck me on pulling the book off the shelves was its unconventional art: Four pages of photography and splash page after splash page of trippy collages. For such a varied presentation, the story never gives up on clarity. The photos act as an instructional video for the "Infinite Vacation" marketplace and gives a general sense of the rules of the multiverse explored therein. Artist Christian Ward's watercolor compositions beautifully suit the story's rejection of solid lines, and the subtlety to his figurework prevents reader boredom that a less able artist would undoubtedly present, given that such a large portion of the dramatis personae is composed of different iterations of the same character. The page layouts vary from hom-hum talking heads to complex structural collages, whose readability makes up for its digitized repetitiveness. I have trouble consolidating an art style so centered on organic paints copied and Ctrl+V'd all over the page, but then again, this book deals directly with life, digitally adapted.
With a totally unassuming plot, The Infinite Vacation draws us into its world slowly but surely. Main guy Mark exhibits distress upon learning of the recent deaths of several of his multiverse counterparts, but his psychiatrist-self disarms the idea that this is a story which begins with a string of mysterious deaths; In a multiverse of infinite possibilities, statistically, there are Marks dying every second. Yet the final page suggests that there is something larger at play here, lending promise to the comics' existential considerations. There's also the requisite romance, complicated by the moral argument of reality-jumping, as the kick-ass female lead believes in a existence ruled by Carpe Diem over Mark's habitual absenteeism.
Complex moral discussion? Check. Varied and appropriate art? Absolutely. I often work out the What-Could-Have-Been in elaborate, mental Scrubs fantasies, and to read about a book willing to stray down those avenues too- well, let's just say I've found a title for the pull list.
Rubber Justice
Posted to Review on 21 January 2011
· Comments (19)
Other stuff like this: christian ward, image, inifinte vacation, nick spencer, slice of life
Dude! Instant subscription! I am so glad I read this before heading to the comics shop. :)
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If you're still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you'll know which is right for you.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it'll do even better in those areas, but for now it's a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod's strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass' favor.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like 'Mixview' that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you're listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of "neighbors" will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune "Social" is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Great post! Why not add some more pics to make your post look realistic
Great post! Why not add some more pics to make your post look realistic
Sorry for the huge review, but I'm really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it's the right choice for you.
Great post! Why not add some more pics to make your post look realistic
United we stand, divided we fall,
If you're still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you'll know which is right for you.
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