Poor Alice! It’s not bad enough that she and Patrick are working together – now she has to go to school with the jerk as well! Why is life so unfair?
Creative Talent:
Writer/Artist: Ha SiHyun
Translator: Hyeung Im
Adaptation: Arthur Dela Cruz
What They Say:
Alice continues to work for Patrick as his assistant. Then one day, Sangmoon Girl's High School merges with Seomoon, the boys' high school, and they find themselves in the same class! The plot thickens when their editor Sean transfers to Taiwan which sends Alice into a funk that even Patrick can't help her out of...
Content Review:
Oh, my. Reading this volume of Comic was a chore, sort of like having to clean the bathroom. During my previous introduction to the series, I didn’t walk away thinking that it was spectacular, but I was interested enough in Alice’s suddenly complicated life to want to follow along and see how things progressed as she pursued a career creating comics. Things have progressed a bit like a car crash, with a plot that isn’t cohesive in the slightest, and random events that are being rolled out one after another, with apparently no reason for any of it. It’s as though the author can’t decide what she wanted her story to be, so she’s tossing in everything, including the kitchen sink, to make sure that she covers all of the bases.
Alice and Patrick still aren’t the best of chums, but that story thread has been shoveled to the side to make room for several other complications. Alice’s school has gone bankrupt, so all of the girls have to start attending Seomoon, the all boys school next door. The only girl who’s having a problem with this development is Alice, and she’s become very sentimental about having to leave her school behind. The other girls are in a frenzy of joy – they are finally going to be able to interact with real, live boys! Yay! What red blooded girl wouldn’t get all wound up at that prospect? The other girls have already done their homework and have chosen four specimens of superior masculinity, basing all of their decisions on their looks. It sort of seemed like revisiting the F4, only these guys don’t like each other and they aren’t all filthy rich.
To put a very bad end to her week, Alice finds out that Mr Hwang has been transferred to Taiwan, but instead of telling her in person, he jots down some drivel and has Patrick deliver a note. Not wanting to upset a sensitive young girl in person, he opted to crush her feelings long distance instead. That was kind of mean, and proves that Alice doesn’t have the best taste in men. At least with Hwang out of the way, Patrick has a shot at winning her over. I’m not trying to imply that he is the greatest catch in Korea, but he is concerned for her feelings and he’s trying to ease her broken heart, though in a misguided fashion that doesn’t earn him any bonus points from Alice.
Alice’s friend, Daria, gets a little extra exposure, as she is harassed by Edward the Scissor, one of the beautiful bishies at Seomoon. Now, I can’t say that Daria didn’t deserve this difficulty, as she seems to believe that using boys to get what he wants is just fine. Since Alice isn’t mean and selfish, it surprises me that they are friends, but like Mr Hwang, Alice seems to have lapses in judgment every now and again.Patrick jumps to Daria’s rescue, though for purely selfish reasons. That at least was a little amusing, though in the larger picture, this was just another jarringly random event that doesn’t do much to propel the story along. The continual changes in character perspective are confusing, and there are times when I wonder who the story is really about. Alice? Patrick? Daria? These shifts in perspective make for an awkward reading experience.
The art has improved, though none of the images are as captivating as the one on the cover. Don’t be fooled by that cover, either, because it isn’t representative of the plot, not one little bit. There is a bonus color section included as well, with instructions on taming a wild beast of a boyfriend, and I wish that it was more representative of the plot. The interior has gotten sharper, and facial expressions are more natural and better reflect how the characters react to situations that they are confronted with. There is also more attention given to background details, which makes the illustrations more interesting.
In Summary:
Many of the elements that I enjoyed from earlier volumes of Comic were disappointingly absent in this one. The story has lost its focus, leaving both the reader and the characters reeling about for solid footing. Instead of following along as Alice learns about the comic biz and experiences her first brush with romance, events are bouncing all over the place in a seemingly random dance. While the art has improved, the storytelling hasn’t. Comic definitely has room for improvement.
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