“Stars-N-You” is a gentle and fanciful minicomic about Leroy, a singer is search of a band in Seattle. It is written and drawn by Merrily Duffy. It is lettered and edited by Jaycee Baron. This comic has a refreshing way of conveying some street smarts in a low key. It’s about youth finding their way and struggling to make sense of life.
There’s a nice moment when Leroy and Patrick are going about their routine as employees of an indie record shop. Patrick is convinced that we delude ourselves with our self-importance. Leroy counters that we have the ability to be self-aware for a reason. It’s a totally inconsequential bit of conversation but fitting. Duffy does a great job of tapping into a twee subculture with her own twee vision. Every man in this comic is elfin and seems to aspire to be the next Ziggy Stardust.
It will be interesting to see how Duffy further develops her characters and stories. There is still work to do such as fine tuning panel composition and word balloon placement which can be hit or miss. I can see her crossing over to children’s books too. Comics can certainly use more of her dreamy style.
You can pick up “Stars-N-You #1” for just 99 cents at ComiXology here.
