Written by Sam Humphries
Illustrated by Steven SandersThe comic book ‘surprise hit of the summer” is back ? and Image has it! In wide release for the very first time! See it for yourself ? the book that has everyone buzzing: OUR LOVE IS REAL!
THE FUTURE IS HERE! Plantsexuals riot in the streets for equal rights. Humans fall in love with dogs. And crystals are more than just jewelry. A chance encounter on the job changes a riot cop’s life forever as he finds himself caught in a bizarre love triangle that blurs romance, crime, and lust beyond recognition.
OUR LOVE IS REAL is a bold new sci-fi one-shot written by SAM HUMPHRIES (one of Wizard’s “Five Writers to Watch in 2011,” CBGB, Fraggle Rock) and illustrated by STEVEN SANDERS (Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age, FIVE FISTS OF SCIENCE).
Unless you were living under some sort of rock (or spending all your time debating which new DC book to buy, I guess?), you must’ve heard of the awesome insanity that is Our Love Is Real — a comic that became such a quick cult classic that I flew across the country to find a copy of it and still came up empty handed. (No, seriously!) (Well, ok, fine — I went to California for my sister’s wedding, but still.)
However, Image came along and decided, “Hey, we like putting out good books so more people can get them!” And voila, Our Love Is Real is in comic shops everywhere tomorrow. And you want to buy it.
If you don’t believe me, check out the spoiler-free review after the cut.
If I had to define my love of comics in a singular sentence, it would be something like this: “I love comics because every week I can read something different.” That is my basic modus operandi when it comes to the comics that I read; yes, I buy some titles that I’ve always bought and some of them really aren’t that “special”, but when I pick up a brand new book or a creator-owned title, it’s that inner mantra that fuels me. I have little to no problem paying more than $2.99 for a book by someone I’m unfamiliar with if it provides the appropriate bang for my buck.
That’s what you get with Our Love Is Real — a (quite literal) bang for your buck. Our Love Is Real is probably one of the most screwed up comics I’ve read this year (key phrase: one of), but it’s also the most timely, poignant and thoughtful comics at the same time. You’d be hard pressed to find anything much like it on the shelves this week, and the fact that it comes from two creators you (probably/maybe) have never even heard of is all the more to reason to buy it before you miss your chance (although I’ll call it now and predict it will go into a second printing).
For those unawares, the plot of OLiR goes a little bit something like this: in the undefined future five years after AIDS is officially cured, love is somewhat a literal battlefield. As humans evolve and new figurative doors are opened, love moves beyond instituionalized ideas of “man and woman” to something a bit more omnisexual, with the previous ideas looking rather silly in comparison. Now, it doesn’t matter who you love – animal, mineral or vegetable – because your love is real. There are of course people who oppose these changes, and there are those who believe their love is more real than others, but that initial wall no longer exists. If you want to get down and dirty with a pooch, then… well… So what would happen if, say, a man were to have funny feelings for a woman?
The inherent message of the comic is fairly clear, so I won’t regal you in analysis of its most basic idea. I’m sure you “get it” without even reading the comic. Instead, I’ll explain why you want the comic in your collection: its execution is pretty much flawless. If the book were a move in Mortal Kombat, it would be one of those KOs Sub-Zero performs at the end of a match where the game reads “Flawless Victory!” afterwards. Our Love Is Real is a funny, thoughtful and mildly disturbing comic that is by far and large one of the best comics available this week, and you’d think that it certainly has the odds stacked against it given some of the titles coming out. However, if you’re looking for a comic to really take you to a land of poignant escapism, you’re not going to get much better than this for your money’s worth.
Continued belowThe inherent point of a one-shot comic is that you’re buying a story that gives you everything you need/want without any need for more. You’re investing in a comic that has a full three-act story from beginning to end within a limited space, one that is a satisfying read. Many one-shots can leave a reader unfulfilled telling a piece of a story, perhaps not adding up to too much or clearly just being set-up for something more (if sales are good enough). Our Love Is Real isn’t like those — in these 24 pages we are introduced to lasting characters, a plot with resonance and a story that stays with you long after reading the issue. This isn’t just a comic to throw into a bag and a board and forget about; this is a floppy that finds it’s way onto the same shelves you put your trades on, and it is one that you will definitely want to re-read from time to time. (I have had this comic for maybe two weeks, and I’ve already read it at least five times.)
Ok, if we’re being honest, despite earlier statements, I was familiar with both of the creators at the time of reading. Sam Humphries is “that guy that wrote Fraggle Rock!” and Steve Sanders is “that guy who drew SWORD!”, but neither of those reasons are what caused me to want to read the title. However, now that I have, I can easily say that Humphries and Sanders make quite a duo and certainly defy expectations. This is nothing like Fraggle Rock, or even Humphries’ work with the CBGB comic; this is Humphries essentially showing himself off as a truely disturbing but talented creative force capable of telling quite the fictional tale. To continue an earlier metaphor, Humphries is kind of like Scorpion, shouting “GET OVER HERE!” and then doing that awesome chain move where he pulls you over and beats the crap out of you (in the best way possible) while you watch on and say, “Ohhhh, awesome!”
Meanwhile, Sanders is doing work unlike anything I’ve ever seen him do before. I’m most familiar with Sanders from SWORD and Five Fists Of Science, but every time I pick up his work he’s doing something different artistically. With Our Love Is Real, Sanders is emmulating artists like Quitely or Burnham with his broad characters and vividly cutting lines of chaotic violence, and it looks wonderful. Given that Our Love Is Real is smaller in size than your average comic, it’s incredibly worth noting that Sanders makes excellent use of his space, and in this one little black and white comic he gives the reader plenty of reasons to seek out his work more frequently.
Comics are a funny thing. If we, as fans, step back and take an objective look at the shelves on any given month, we’re honestly given a lot of the same. My store alone can (and does) fill up several walls with Marvel and DC superheroes alone, and those are often what they choose to stock up on. Why not, right? That’s usually what gets people’s foots in the door. It got my foot in the door, and unless something drastic in my life happens, it will be what initially keeps my feet carrying my body through those various doors that I love to walk through. However, there in lies the rub: comics can’t really survive on these books alone. Not anymore, anyway. The market, such as it is, requires that new blood be offered up frequently for our consumption. We’ll buy a Batman book here or a Spider-Man book there, but most fans want something else, either instead of or in addition to.
Well, here you are. Our Love Is Real. It’ll be in stores tomorrow, and if it doesn’t find its way home with you for any reason other than it sold out (seriously, though, you can almost guarantee a second printing of the book), then you must really not want a better breed of comics on a regular basis.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – Buy
