Too Cool to be Forgotten #1(2008).
© Top Shelf

Mania Grade: B+
Comic Series: Too Cool to be Forgotten
Issue: 1
Authors: Alex Robinson
Publisher: Top Shelf
Price: $14.95

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Too Cool to be Forgotten #1

In Alex Robinson’s newest graphic novel, Too Cool to be Forgotten, Robert Andrew Wicks has tried everything to quit smoking. After the obvious solutions have failed, he agrees to undergo hypnotherapy at a holistic medical center. Though he remains skeptical, his wife, Lynn, urges him to try. With nothing to lose, he allows Dr. Alcola to lull him into a trance. When he awakens, he finds himself not in her office, but back in high school in 1985. Robert has been rewound to his teenage self, with no explanation other than the obvious actions of the hypnotist. Still, he knows that’s not how it usually works. Unsure of what to do, he goes through the paces of his teenage life for a few days. He uses his adult insight to one-up a couple of bullies, tell off a couple of despotic teachers, and ask a beautiful girl to go with him to a party. Before attending the get-together, he recalls that he smoked his first cigarette there—the one that began his addiction. Though he does not understand the logistics of time travel, he surmises that he must decline that first smoke to return home. But, he realizes that the source of his addiction lies not within a moment of peer pressure, but with an unresolved family crisis that once set the course for his adult life. 

Alex Robinson’s penchant for realistic dialogue and slice-of-life drama overcomes the shortfalls of Too Cool to be Forgotten. Though he hints at the real source of Robert’s problem throughout the story, its resolution proves sudden and somewhat unsatisfactory. The real pleasures of this book lie in the pointedly realistic interaction between Robert and his friends. High school never felt this painfully realistic, or funny. Though Robert remembers himself as an outcast, he appreciates the strong comradery that keeps his band of misfits together, and recognizes that some students had it far worse than he ever did. As Robinson tracks the days leading to the party, he hints at that unspoken problem in Robert’s family—one that the character blames for the ultimate misfortunes of his sister. And, when Robert is finally able to resolve that problem, it falls in the reader’s lap like a rock. While the moment proves touching, it also feels sudden. Robinson should’ve allowed the story to breathe. Two of his other graphic novels, Box Office Poison and Tricked, look like phone books compared to Too Cool to be Forgotten. At only 128 small pages, this story deserves the leisurely buildup and room for character development Robinson afforded his earlier works. As such, it’s not great. But, it’s still good and worth a purchase.

Robinson draws Too Cool to be Forgotten with the same delightfully cartoonish black and white art that he does his other work. His thinly drawn, quirky characters convey the levity in his dialogue perfectly. But, his skill as an artist really shows when he draws rage and sadness with the same acumen. Despite its suddenness in the narrative, the resolution of Robert’s family dilemma is poignant and moving. It’s just a shame it didn’t come after the buildup it deserves. 

Too Cool to be Forgotten will be available everywhere in July. Pick it up.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@mania.com.