Local #8 - Oni (2007)

Looking for a non-superhero comic? Local may be the one for you. It sure is for me. The series follows Megan, a sort of indie everywoman, as she moves from city to city. She was 18 in the first issue and each subsequent story moves forward about a year so the final issue (#12) will wrap up when she's 30. Megan is truly dynamic. She is not only in a different city each issue she is a different person. We watch her grow and change and while the process is bumpy at times it's an enjoyable ride.

There are no superpowers or supernatural elements, here. Megan runs into the same situations the reader might. She makes mistakes, she sometimes learns from them and things don't always get wrapped up neatly. The issues have been presented in various manners. One of them juxtaposed a letter from Megan to her cousin with that cousin's daily life. This issue finds Megan waitressing in Chicago. She's 26 now and starting to grow out of a lot of the behaviors of her youth. Both the writer, Brian Wood, and the artist, Ryan Kelly, refer to this issue as a "Love Story" (quotes included) and it certainly is that. It's not a romantic comedy. In fact, it's almost not romantic at all and that is a refreshing change from the Official Hollywood Version.

The interiors are black-and-white which gives it a Cinéma Vérité feel. It's as if we're getting to see more than was intended which adds an extra thrill to the stories. The back issues should still be around and since each story is self-contained it doesn't really matter where you start. It's nice to see Megan's progression from place to place but the chronology is not vital to enjoyment of the series.

I'll be sad to see this one end and I'd like to see Wood and Kelly team up again.