The saddest book you ever had to read always makes you cry

[stubbleupdate]

I started a series of Minx posts with my snippet of the Re-Gifters and now I'm going to continue with some of New York 4/New York Five. Just as the first Minx book wasn't actually a Minx book, so the last Minx book is also published by Vertigo.

New York Five is the sequel to New York Four and is from the creative team that made the lovely Local (more of which at a future date)

Brian Wood writes and Ryan Kelly draws. Kelly's art is amazing. His figures are good and expressive, but his backgrounds are amazing. I've been told by New Yorkers that you could take a page of NY5, and find it in the city. There's certainly a massive level of detail that I don't remember seeing in pretty much any other book.

NY4 is the story of four freshmen at university in NYC, sharing an apartment in their first semester. NY5 is the story of their second semester.

Here's an intro to three of the girls. Wood does these intro-caption boxes every so often to update you on where the girls are and what they're thinking. Yes, they're a mainstay of the Uncanny X-books but I like them.

Riley is the closest that we have to a lead character. She battled mobile phone addiction and was reunited with her tearaway big sister in 4.
Ren is the grown-up one, usually dating the wrong men, currently dating older men.
Lona is Canadian, not used to failure and is stalking one of her lecturers.

.

And then a scene of the girls out and about in NYC. When I return to New York, I shall use this as one of my guidebooks.

Comments

[filthysize]

"I've been told by New Yorkers that you could take a page of NY5, and find it in the city."

Pretty much. The intersections and parks are a given, but I've also been to the bars, coffee shops, bookstores and restaurants these characters go to.

[icon_uk]

Is "The Strand" real? Because if it is, next time I get to NY I am going there like a shot!

[apintrix]

It is. But it is not particularly Cathedral-like. And most of it is wholesale new books, not used books.

[icon_uk]

Darn... :(

[apintrix]

It's still pretty awesome though. There are many excellent cheap books to be had. :)

[arilou_skiff]

It is. Less cathedral-like and more labyrinthine I'd say. Extremely confusing but oh so fun.

[turtlefu]

My god, that is a HUGE level of detail! I can't believe it! How does Ryan Kelly even get his pages on time? Other artists who draw with that much detail usually take months and months.

[whitesycamore]

The art is really lovely, and the women's body language and dress-sense is very believable. I just wish I could say the same thing about the dialogue. I mean, I can't pin-point exactly what it is that's off, but there's a definite uncanny valley vibe going on in these pages. It's like a computer simulation of a conversation between three young women - he just doesn't quite have a handle on the proper use of "like" and "seriously."

And now I kind of want to take complicated revenge by writing a comic about Friendship between three guys in their forties. I plan to make them sassy and empowered - I think middle aged men will really connect with it!

[greenmask]

Doooooooooooo iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

~hypno-fingers~

[shadowpsykie]

why is it sad?

[pyrotwilight]

The Strand can be fun. And it's right on the same block as Forbidden Planet so going one after another is always fun regardless of what you find.

[icon_uk]

Okay, that's a definite addition to the "to do" list then! :)

[proteus_lives]

Hipsterville.

[pyrotwilight]

Hipsters, in NY? Madness I say. XP

But yeah, soooo many over here.

[treesahquiche]

... Is that a Belle & Sebastian reference in the post title?

[icon_uk]

I don't suppose you mean this Belle and Sebastian?

I know the band took their name from that show, but that's what the name will always conjure up for me.... icon_uk is old...

Elope with me Miss Private

[houbanaut]

"The statue's crying too, and well he may."

I always heard that line as just "The statue's crying too, and Willie Mays." Didn't realize it was a pun until just now.

[wizardru]

So is there a story here or is this more of a character study? That's not intended to be derogatory, I'm just trying to get a feel for it. I'm assuming there are no fantastic elements, more of just a straight-up story?

I'm curious if this might be something my daughter might enjoy.

[stubbleupdate]

There is a story - each girl has her own thing going on, whether it's their relationship with their sister, parents, professor, brother or boyfriends and each one of them does grow as a character at the end of the story. It's also not explicit sexually or verbally. I would be happy to see it in the school library.

[recognitions]

Strand is overpriced, honestly. Best place to buy books in the city is from the street vendors on the NYU campus in front of Washington Square Park.

[keeva]

Do they all have the same body type?