With “Pawn Shop,” Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman show how connected we really are. Not with smart phones and social media, but through the random daily interactions of perfect strangers. The result, in a few words, is “all the feels.” Read on for a few more words about “Pawn Shop.”
Written by Joey Esposito
Illustrated by Sean Von GormanA widower. A nurse. A punk. A city employee.
New York City is an ecosystem where everybody is connected, if only by the streets they walk on. Pawn Shop is the story of four lives out of eight million.
One of the most fascinating things about life is the complex web of daily human interactions. It’s never ending domino effect. Every action, small or large, can have a profound effect on those around us. Most of these moments, these intersecting spokes on the cosmic wheel of time, go completely unnoticed.
In “Pawn Shop,” Esposito and Von Gorman weave a fictional web of hope, loss, fear, redemption, courage, and love, told across one the most iconic hives of human highs and lows; New York City.
Esposito certainly plays ups the New Yorker card, and I imagine those with a tangible connection to the city will get a little something extra out of this book. However, the writer certainly doesn’t alienate. If you’ve watched an episode of Seinfeld, you’re more than welcome to the party. Besides, human relationships, something I’m sure we’ve all experienced, are far more important to the story at hand than any affiliation to a particular city.
Told across four chapters, “Pawn Shop” is the story of the intersecting lives of four individuals. There’s Harold, a kind old man dealing with the loss of his wife and subsequent exodus to Long Island. Then there’s Arthur, an action-figure collecting nurse, secretly pining after Samantha, whose brother he has cared for over the past four years. Finally, there’s Jen, an enigmatic and troubled soul that weaves in and out of the story like a ghost. In LOST-ian style, each receives their own “centric” chapter, while their story continues to weave in and out of the other chapters.
While “Pawn Shop” may not have hatches or polar bears, it bears plenty of rewarding moments, when what was previously unclear or innocuous becomes a stunning and emotional revelation. Each chapter adds some new understanding. While some fit in better than others (the third chapter felt somewhat out of place during the first read), each adds a unique contribution to the overarching theme. This makes the brisk read into a long lasting puzzle, one that will have you itching to return to previous chapters after you’ve reached the back cover.
Of course, you’ll likely want to flip back through a few more times to admire Sean Von Gorman’s terrific art. Gorman’s style is minimalist and cartoony, but able to depict a wide array of emotion. His style shifts subtly with the mood, from soft and relaxed to harsh and ugly. Along with colorist Jonathan Moore, the artist washes his pencils with gorgeous water colors, creating a world that is dream-like, yet recognizable. Their work instantly calls to Jeff Lemire’s washed out inks in “Essex County” or his soft water colors in “Underwater Welder;” stories sharing strong thematic ties to “Pawn Shop.”
If there’s one central theme running through “Pawn Shop,” it’s the idea of letting go. The idea of taking inventory, taking control and “pawning” anything that holds one back from truly living. That’s not an easy concept for anyone, let alone us comic fans who hold on to decades of continuity or our garage full of long boxes for dear life. Certainly, the things that plague the characters of “Pawn Shop” are far more weighty, and are likely things that you have dealt with at some point in your life. That emotional resonance lends the story a universal accessibility.
So, keep an eye out for “Pawn Shop,” due out in March from Soup Dad Comics. Read it for yourself, or use it to make a connection of your own. Either way, you’re sure to gain something.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy. “Pawn Shop” is the “Essex County Trilogy” for New Yorkers.
