The Music Is Their Life: Reviewing ‘FML’ #1

In every single storytelling medium, there comes a moment where a story emerges that just grabs and holds on tightly. One where it fits all the various “rules” or normalcies of the medium, but then takes them all and just seems to leap higher and further than so many others.

Basically that story which you know you’ll be thinking about for days, weeks, probably even years beyond that first read. Amongst those remembered stories will surely be FML #1 from the intrepid team of Kelly Sue DeConnick, David López, Cris Peter, and Clayton Cowles.

Wow. Just a big giant wow.

As a word that one pretty succinctly sums up how I felt reading this issue. One that I could not put down (partially because it was in PDF format), flipping page after page and devouring every single little bit on every page. When a comic book issue so thoroughly hooks me that all other things fade, from app games to social media to all other things, I know right away it’s a winner.

I knew when this was announced and I snagged it for my review queue that I would enjoy it. That enjoyment was well beyond even those expectations. That’s the way I like it.

Once upon a time my mind was very set on being all about the most photorealistic “grounded” types of comic book art. I’d notice others but would be bummed if it wasn’t that, as if that was the only way things could be.

Then I grew and opened myself up and became a connoisseur of comic book art styles, from the photorealistic to the animated whimsical to the rough sketchy sharp and everything else within that circle. Finally fully embracing the fact that what makes this medium so beautiful are the varying styles, approaches, and the completely open canvas to create unique storytelling it provides.

Here in this particular case, López is right on the corner of a type of art that has really piqued my interest more and more in recent years. One that has all that heaviness and wealth of expression and grounded foundation wrapped up in a very whimsical energetic and sometimes out there sort of packaging. It’s taking the world outside our window and dressing it up in a way that embraces and eschews that reality.

The story goes all in on the musical and metal type elements — from cut out arrows that accentuate the page to the drawings of main character Riley that take up the back drop. All of it just brings the right level of energy to the affair, embracing the concept and doing what comic books are uniquely structured to do — create all the wildest and boldest imagery, with not a single worry about budgets or technology to pull it off.

We see that on all the levels.

Cowles brings that to the lettering by using the same lettered paper that Riley draws on for caption boxes. Bringing in musical notes really decorates those boxes, and lets all the words just flow smoothly and powerfully. Capturing these unique voices, that we’ve never heard or encountered before, and giving them a vibrant life that really echoes in the mind, together, Cowles and López sell every single bit of emotion that is part of the story, in similar yet different visual ways.

Being vibrant is key to everything as there has to be the right feeling beyond the actual images themselves. Peter brings that to the page through a color palette that is really heavy, bright, and fitting for the story at hand. We never see the fires that are mentioned, but we feel their presence always because of the orange and yellow coloring that illuminates all the outside spaces. They really capture what spaces look like when the threat of wildfires are always looming far too close for comfort.

Darker and heavier colors slip in and out to accentuate the characters and the various aspects about them. Adding to the depth that is already on display and giving authentic power to everything. Through it all is a very tangible vibrancy that really plays into the more ‘fun’ aspect of the book, even with so many really hefty scenarios and situations (as well as the feelings various characters are dealing with). Through all this it allows even the stuff that becomes supernatural near the end to feel still very authentic and not out of place to the world as it was crafted.

Speaking of all that stuff, the way that DeConnick paces this issue is pretty much perfect.

What we get for basically everything but the final pages is very much a slice of life story. Sure it’s got some stuff that is given an exaggerated effect (though not so much in some respects) in what the world throws at people, but it still has a firm real foundation. Just a mother and son, along with the Goth daughter, navigating the world as it’s thrown at them. A mother who was once part of the music (and potentially other worldly things) landscape who is struggling and just trying to do right by her kids. The son who is into heavy metal with a group of eccentric friends, trying to figure out their way in the world.

We’re given so much that every character feels fully alive and fleshed out before we even hit the quarter point of the issue. DeConnick’s character development abilities have never been in question and they are really cutting loose here. It’s ‘easy’ to work with established characters that come with a built in fandom and decades-long built foundations. Getting people to care about your original characters, especially in such quick fashion, that’s a whole other ballgame right there.

As I stated above I was so into this issue, flipping page after page, and when it was over I actually was a bit sad. Because I was ready to keep reading this story and see what comes next. Anticipation is a key part of the format that comics still employ, of monthly releases. Leave the reader wanting to know what happens next so that they race out for the next issue and are less likely to forget your series.

I know exactly where I’m going to be on December 11th. Reading the second issue of this series.

FML #1 is now available from Dark Horse Comics.