And I mean seriously extra. Because this book is still wayyyyy off in the distance, but you’re getting your first look Right. Fucking. Here.
The book in question? HAZED, written by Mark Sable and drawn by Robbi Rodriguez, and published by Image Comics: the real San Francisco treat.
HAZED is the story of Ileana, a college freshman who winds up going to a “second choice” college and nearly immediately regrets it. She’s got a vapid roommate named James (who is a woman, despite her name), a reasonably healthy sense of self and a decent body image, and enough smarts to fill multiple backpacks. But we find out early on that it all went by the wayside and she’s headed for a life of eating disorders and binge drinking. The question then becomes, as Sable begins building his parody: how did it all go wrong?
Honestly, taking shots at college culture is pretty much like shooting fish in a barrel, and being a college librarian, trust me: I know. To make it work, you have to do two things: have at least one good character to get behind, and some new, clever ways to deliver the snark. Sable’s best: the sluttiest sorority on campus is Sigma Tau Delta… the STDs. Funny stuff.
In the rougher spots where the story isn’t quite flowing, Sable has the best backup possible in the form of Rodriguez. As he’s proven on MAINTENANCE, he has a gift for drawing projects with a warped sense of humor, and he really delivers some terrific stuff here.
Nothing about HAZED screams “genius!” or “Eisner!”, but the first chunk I’ve read here does do a solid job of entertaining and putting a smile on your face. Can’t ask for much more than that.
Be back here through the week for site updates and/or friend us on MySpace. See you next weekend for the next edition of the Blog Extra!
/Mason
