My Comics Reading List: MOTHER NATURE

128. MOTHER NATURE (Hoopla app)

Tillie Walden's CLEMENTINE raised my patience levels considerably for alternative cartoonists adapting other people's intellectual properties. Tillie wrote CLEMENTINE, and Karl Stevens is adapting a screenplay by some other folks. The differences make each project appealing and worthwhile. There's some visceral horror moments in here, like CLEMENTINE, that I wish seemed less jarring to the overall plot when they appear (though one in particular was essential). However, other than that the other 99% holds together quite well through Karl Stevens' unique style. I always want to call Stevens art REALISTIC, but that word falls short of conveying what he brings to this project. The combination of intricate line work, varied character design (there's a big cast and they all stand out), subtle facial expressions, and that hand painted color which is perfect for the otherwordly feel this story begs for. What this book comes down to is the gift of over 170 pages of Karl Stevens art we might never have seen otherwise. Thanks to Jamie Lee Curtis and Russell Goldman for that. (Fun fact: All the major characters in the story are woman, and the interactions and motivations weaving through the narrative are a major part of the appeal of the story.)