Saturday, October 5, 2013

Mind the Gap, Volume 1: Intimate Strangers


This book collects the first five issues of a comic book written by Jim McCann and drawn by Rodin Esquejo. McCann won an Eisner Award for his book Return of the Dapper Men, and he also worked on a series of comics about Hawkeye and Mockingbird for Marvel Comics. Esquejo has been mostly known as the cover artist for Morning Glories. All these proceedings in this book are well communicated by his clear, fluid artwork. McCann speaks more about the origins and intent of this series in this interview.

The plot follows Elle Peterssen, a wealthy, young woman who was attacked in a subway station and is in a coma. No one, not even she, knows who assaulted her or why, and almost everyone from her over-bearing father, jerk brother, distant mother, and hard luck ex-boyfriend are suspects. Add to the mix that Elle's spirit seems to be floating around in the ether overseeing things and a suspicious doctor who hides information while knowing way too much about her and her situation, and the result is a pretty compelling and interesting mystery.

Reviews I have read about this volume have been largely positive with some reservations. Booklist's Snow Wildsmith wrote, "This first volume sets up the rest of the series, but even when it is trying too hard to be cool, the story is still engaging." The Patient Comic Addict offered this opinion: "While it can be wordy and expository at times, the story is quite compelling." Francesca Lyn summed up, "the strong characterization and well-written dialogue on Mind the Gap is enough to keep me entertained while I try to figure out just what is going on."

 The regular series and this collection are published by Image Comics. A sizable preview is available here from Comic Book Resources.


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