Review: Alone in a Crowd!
13th April 2009
Alone in a Crowd by Thomas D. Szewc
It would seem that its all the Tom’s this week… oh well.
I’d like to say that Alone in a Crowd is cute… and it is, there are plenty of characters that fit that description. Thomas has a great sense of humour, and the comic shows this.
The strange part is, that certain events and character histories can be quite tragic at times and adds depth to the characters whilst also making the reader care about what happens to them. Some of their histories can be graphic when you really think about it but due to the way its written it makes us feel for them as opposed to simply being shocked or repulsed.
We have a girl who’s bullied for being different- most people can relate to her. We have a girl who’s constantly cheerful but is lonely because of her families apparent wealth. A big sister who acts like a mother- having left all of her dreams behind in order to care for her sister after her parents were killed.
Strangely out of the group the strongest and perhaps having the most “graphic” past is Desirae- the aunt of that big sister. She’s strong, bold and proud. Or at least seems that way, perhaps its more experience than anything else but she certainly does have a weak side.
Her past is recounted in a rant that is obviously her defending what she does for a living but also shows her softer side- her vulnerabilities. Desirae is, in short, a porn star. And this may seem shocking in the setting of this comic but some how she fits in perfectly. During her life she’s had some tough times due to directors and contracts- almost destroying her- yet she picked herself up and vowed to not let any other girl be treated the way she had been for all that time.
That’s not to say she gives up on her job- she founds her own company that looks after it actresses and treats them as equals instead of destroying them as others did to her in the past.
It’s strange that such a story can fit so well into this tale but that just goes to show the brilliance of the writer. He manages to make the story interesting, humorous at times and the characters really come alive.
AIAC is a difficult comic to explain, or even come close to describing properly- other than its one of those things you have to read for yourself.