Here’s what I’M GONNA SAY. It’s a real testament to how awesome a company Vertigo is, that Daytripper ever got the green light. Sure, Brazilian twins Fabio Moon and Gabriel Bá are becoming “names” in the comic book industry, and yeah, The Umbrella Academy (Bá) and Casanova (mostly Moon) have a loyal following, but an original 10-part comic book series in which the main character gets killed in EVERY ISSUE?! That’s called a leap of faith, and one that Vertigo has successfully pulled off time and again, since Counting Crows and Ace of Base were running the show. When I pitched the same concept to Vertigo last year, they said they didn’t care how much I wanted to see Nuv get killed in a bunch of different ways, they weren’t gonna print it, and then they called security.
But I digress! Let’s talk about Daytripper’s first issue! I had been planning on buying this as soon as it came out, but for those browsers uninitiated in the Bá and Moon fanclub, a quick flip through is all it takes to get you up to speed. The art is, hands down, the best work ever done by the brothers. The pencils are loose and flowy but far from sloppy, the inks are bold, and Dave Stewart’s colours are absolutely gorgeous. Set in São Paulo, Brazil (the brothers’ hometown), everything about the art, from the streetlamps to the cafes to the old exteriors, is refreshingly authentic. Every little detail is a vacation for the eyes, and I honestly can’t remember the last time a comic made me want to travel somewhere, or even just learn a few things about a different culture. This one has that effect.
The issue also does a great job of subtly introducing the reader to the satellite characters without running into that jarring first-episode-of-a-new-television-show problem. People flit in and out of Bras’ day to day life, and they fill in the gaps of what could otherwise be an overly introspective inward-facing narrative. It’s interesting to follow the different roles that these same people take in the varying stages of our hero’s life. Why? Because as I mentioned before, Bras dies at the end of every issue.
In the first six issues, he’s been shot (age 32), drowned (21), hit by a car (28), had a heart attack (41), electrocuted (11) and has died in a highway collision (33). Now, if you’re one of those cats always yelling about spoilers on the internet, fear not because like Black Thought said, “Your head is throbbin’ and I ain’t said shit yet!” The point of each issue is not that Bras Domingo dies. After the first two issues you know he’s probably gonna get it by the end of each book, but it doesn’t matter because it’s the relationships and circumstances that lead to his death that really count. It’s those guiding forces that keep an otherwise stale concept fresh and engaging.
So, what is the point of this series? What’s the message? Well to be perfectly honest, I’m not really sure yet. It could be something as simple as reminding everyone that life is unpredictable, and should be lived to the fullest. For me, it’s a reminder that a) any one of us could go at any time and b) it’s good to be alive because at any point in our lives we could have been dropped by serious illness or accident or whatever. You know, borrowed time and all that. Who knows though? This is the kind of thinking that either makes a person really enjoy their life (me) or scare the living bejesus out of them, to the point where they won’t come out of their house (hopefully not you).
So yeah, Daytripper. It’s a good one! Go buy the back-issues if you can find ‘em or wait for the trade. But don’t wait too long, because you never know what could happen… Ha!
The seventh issue of Daytripper hits stores TODAY (June 9th).
Put one in the air…
– Ian
NEXT ISSUE: A TRIBUTE TO INNER EAR ISSUES AND ALFRED HITCHCOCK. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
TUNE IN: SAME IAN-TIME, SAME NUV-CHANNEL…
