“Crowded” is back with a new story arc, and issue #7 sees Vita and Charlie hit the strip in Las Vegas with absolutely no issues getting there at all. No sir. Warning: mild spoilers ahead.
Cover by Gaby Epstein
Written by Christopher Sebela
Illustrated by Ro Stein & Ted Brandt
Colored by Triona Farrell
Lettered by Cardinal RaeNEW STORY ARC! After escaping a brutal-and televised-attempt on their lives, Charlie and Vita abandon Los Angeles for the utopian desert paradise of Las Vegas. With the Reapr campaign against Charlie now worth over two million dollars, it’s more important than ever to find out who’s behind it and how to shut it down. But the journey is half the battle, and even if they manage to live through two states’ worth of killers, they’ll still have to survive each other.
“Crowded” #7 roars into a brand new story arc without hitting the breaks for a second. Vita and Charlie finally got out of Los Angeles alive and now they’re headed to the other bastion of shallowness, greed and abhorrent human behavior on the West Coast: Las Vegas. They take a little trip on the Hypertube, make some friends, almost lose Dog and dip their toes in some character insight, but this well-paced action issue could’ve been stronger with a bit more from Charlie on that front.
Sebela, Stein and Brandt know how to put together an issue full of high action, fun, sarcasm and interest. “Crowded” has been very entertaining to date, and issue #7 proves the team hasn’t lost any of their swagger on that front. Charlie’s misling of Vita with a pseudo-sob story narrative about the hard Millennial hustle lands a bit flat, however, even if it’s in character for her. Her emotional development has been elusive to date – the last time we really saw through the dumpster fire facade was at the bachelorette party – and taking the new issue at a slower pace to incorporate a little more reflection would have been a nice change. There’s nothing wrong with the story in this installment, but if the aim of the team is to have us sympathize with Charlie, it’s getting harder over time. If the aim is to prove out what a jerk she is and how everyone around her is also full of it and keep the adrenaline high throughout, then hats off to an excellent issue. It’s quite easy to have a lot of sympathy for Vita, and that is more than enough to keep the story going on the emotional front.
Stein and Brandt’s art is endlessly entertaining. As Charlie does what she does best, per Vita, and causes some intentional chaos this issue to derail (har har) another batch of would-be assassins, the layouts disintegrate to match the action. Every character has a physical detail that sets them apart from their peers, which makes following an extremely claustrophobic action scene inside the Hypertube easy, and fun. Sebela layers on the usual brand of wry dialogue for maximum impact. There’s a wide range of body types and ages in the endlessly rotating cast of bloodthirsty extras that helps ground the story in our reality. That might sound odd considering the book’s cartooning, but these choices help build out a realistic landscape and let the absurdity flow forth. “Crowded” is a book that’s about 48 hours into our future, and showcasing a Los Angeles and, now, a Las Vegas that includes an approximation of the actual population feels hectic and close to home in a good way.
Farrell’s colors are a joy, as always. Crowded is a world full to bursting with technology, clothes, textures, patterns and almost every color in the rainbow, and Farrell manages to blend and impressively broad palette almost seamlessly. Charlie’s hair is an omnipresent anchor, especially in some of the more ridiculous action scenes, and the single-color backgrounds for Vita’s moments of precise violence work very well. Farrell also does a lot to amplify Stein and Brandt’s careful use of perspective in this issue. The Hypertube is a constrained space, so things like upholstery patterns, glass panels, dim lighting and clothing pops matter more than usual. Farrell does a good job of keeping things interesting, and clear. Of special note is the rainbow background wash in the absolute chaos of the double-page spread toward the end of the issue. Very nicely done.
Continued belowRae’s lettering work is up to its usual good standard. There’s a lot of dialogue to contend with in this issue and a lot of smaller panels where it has to fit, and Rae always places balloons with an eye for keeping Stein and Brandt’s facial details on full display. There’s almost no padding to speak of, and Rae makes good use of squat little tails for attribution. Charlie’s confessional scene features a few strips of three tall, narrow panels where Rae butts the balloons with some rounded corners. This placement slows the scene down just as much as the sequential choices, and the page works very well as a result.
“Crowded” is a book that’s just a heck of a lot of fun, and overstimulating in an intentional way. We live in a tech-soaked landscape, and it’s down to personal preference to refer to it as one flirting with the apocalypse or turning its hopeful eyes to the future. “Crowded” blends humor and these two edge cases for a dizzying experience, and if you want a truly ringing endorsement? This story couldn’t be told in any other medium quite like the team is doing, and that’s the best compliment anyone can pay to a comic these days.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – “Crowded” #7 keeps the action coming with its usual high standard of storytelling, art and visual design.
