That "Local" comic - classic or dud

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"Local" seems to be some new comic by Brian Wood & Ryan Kelly and someone else. It is coming out issue by issue, and the issue-ness seems to be a key feature of it, with the stories designed to be understandable on a one-off basis even if there is a big story thing going on.

Anyway, I bought one issue, because it was set in Halifax. I have a friend who has moved to Halifax, so I thought that if it was any good or heroically bad I could post it to her.

The story turned out to be quite engaging, about someone who finds herself unable to tell the truth. I'm interested enough to try other issues.

What have your experiences with this title been like?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Saturday, 3 June 2006 17:01 (seventeen years ago) link

I really like it. If you're hungry for more after finishing the available issues, seek out Demo, which is basically the same thing but less dense + mutants.

― Litwack (litwack), Sunday, 4 June 2006 15:00 (seventeen years ago) link

Doesn't Wood write that rubbish DMZ comic?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 15:40 (seventeen years ago) link

No - he writes the occasionally-good DMZ comic.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 15:50 (seventeen years ago) link

OK... I am generalising from the one issue I read. Which admittedly had its moments.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 20:18 (seventeen years ago) link

I got Local #1 today. It was okay. It was like groundhog day + dan clowes or something. i liked the art a lot.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 21:07 (seventeen years ago) link

DMZ is interesting if you live in New York, or have close ties to it. If not then some of the art and story could not be as interesting. Demo was cool, and I think that we will just have to wait for Local to really turn around. If he isn't already he should use local artists from each town he writes about. That would be cool. (If he is it's a great idea)

― Heath Raymond (Heath Raymond), Sunday, 18 June 2006 17:28 (seventeen years ago) link

Local doesn't need to turn around - it's been solid at worst (cf. the diner-brother confrontation, the indie band issue) and the last issue (@ the movie theatre) (i.e. the one DV mentions) was great!

― David R. (popshots75`), Sunday, 18 June 2006 18:01 (seventeen years ago) link

Indeed. The movie theatre story is genius.

Regarding DMZ, I read one issue and thought it was pretty meh. Imagining some kind of WARRE going on in NY rather than some third world city is conceptually interesting, but it did not seem to be that credibly realised. Or maybe in the first issue you get all the background stuff, I dunno.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Sunday, 18 June 2006 18:45 (seventeen years ago) link

Actually DMZ has kind of wandered a bit and I'd say the latest issue has the most background. Everything so far has been light character development in the form of wandering around the island or one-off stories that introduce characters (the ghost dudes in central park zoo, for instance).

Local is pretty great in that the stories are self-contained so the one-noteness of each issue doesn't grate. It was also fun to pick up the Minneapolis issue as I was leaving that city and realize that I'd been walking down the block where the story takes place the night before.

― mike h. (mike h.), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 20:25 (seventeen years ago) link

nine months pass...

I've read quite a few issues of Local now, and I like it!

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Monday, 2 April 2007 19:30 (seventeen years ago) link

seven years pass...

I got this in a Comixology sale before the Wood controversy. Just now reading it - there are some low points (as mentioned, diner & indie band) but it's strangely compelling and almost haunting. For some reason I keep thinking about Jesus' Son.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, 24 October 2014 05:43 (nine years ago) link

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