Finally Checking It Out: Steve Peters’ Chemistry

So I found out about Chemistry years ago because Dave Sim talked about it in an interview I saw on YouTube & that it won the Day Prize.  I kept meaning to pick it up for the past five years when I would go to SPACE, but to be honest I really hate talking to other vendors at conventions even if I know I want to buy something from them.  I finally picked it up this year mainly because Steve Peters was sitting right behind me at the convention.  One of this comic’s claims to fame is it’s 365 panels drawn a panel a day over the course of a year.  Which is a great concept & discipline that could help a ton of people having trouble getting their comics out, but to be honest the novelty of that concept really doesn’t impact the book at all.  There are no drastic style changes or leveling up as the comic progressive & the story is cohesive even when there’s 24 panels (so almost a month of drawing time) on the same page.  So the comic is an auto-bio book about a romantic relationship & I think the hope was to document the story of the love of his life to give as a proposal gift (I say that because it’s the kind of hopelessly romantic/semi-retarded thing I might do), but instead the relationship ends about three months into the comic & the next nine months of the comic tell the story of the month of the relationship before the comic started.  I’m a bigger glutton for punishment than the average guy, but I feel even for me that might be too much dwelling on things; though if I wasn’t someone who made his own cathartic relationship comics (see Lost Kisses #6-#8) I probably would be kinder to the whole genre I lovingly refer to as “sad bastard.”  Anyway, if you like the Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) or Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve) comics (which I do), this is definitely worth seeking out & reading.

Oh, & Steve Peters did an interview for QRD.

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