Review: YEARBOOK HERO by Ami Komai

YEARBOOK HERO by Ami Komai

Ami Komai has so much fun satirizing the cool kids. Allisa and Matt end up hanging out a lot, although it’s fairly painful for both of them. Allisa needs Matt as a sounding board and pulls him out of his art supply store clerk job every chance she gets. Matt ends up being insulted by Allisa as she goes about venting. Matt, while essential to her routine, proves to be dull-witted at every turn. But they seem to look cool together as they take in the latest scene. That, and more, is what you can expect from Ami Komai’s first issue of the comic, “Yearbook Hero.”

Reading YEARBOOK HERO

In such a cool kid dynamic, it always comes down to every man for himself. Allisa keeps hanging out with Matt but, in the end, she really doesn’t care about anyone or anything as much as what impression she made with a total stranger. And that easily proves to her that nothing matters. Bravo. Wonderfully pithy stuff here. Komai is on the right track. And that is only the first story, “Dead Girl Water.” Komai writes and draws this comic which is in the tradition of Daniel Clowes and Adrian Tomine: off-kilter slice of life. Her style is more pared-down, lean, and does a great job of capturing perfectly deadpan hipster moments.

Panel excerpt from YEARBOOK HERO

The second story, “NASA Space Universe,” features Jean Paul, a possibly dead hipster. We overhear his friends on a road trip. They stumble upon a notice that states Jean Paul is missing, complete with milk carton portrait. They split on the idea of his being dead or still alive. This story is left unresolved. To be continued. And we end with a two-pager, “Heavy Love in Holograms,” that is concise and poetic and sums up the frustrations of a young woman. All in all, this is an elegant heavy hitter of a comic. I can’t wait to read more of Ami Komai’s work. Visit Ami Komai right here.