Strangers in Paradise, Pocket Book 1

 

Description:

Strangers In Paradise: Pocket Edition 1
Katchoo is a beautiful young woman living a quiet life with everything going for her. She's smart, independent and very much in love with her best friend, Francine. Then Katchoo meets David, a gentle but persistent young man who is determined to win Katchoo's heart. The resulting love triangle is a touching comedy of romantic errors until Katchoo's former employer comes looking for her and $850,000 in missing mob money. As her idyllic life begins to fall apart, Katchoo discovers no one can be trusted and that the past she thought she left behind now threatens to destroy her and everything she loves, including Francine.

My Review:

I have not read this series prior and I am not sure why it hadn’t crossed paths with me before. Perhaps I was busy in the early nineties doing what you did back then, growing up, getting out with friends, and figuring things out!

Reading Vol I feels like I am right back in that time. There are no cell phones! No online media platforms etc. There are words or situations to hang on to, to ponder over and taking a stand, committing to your ideals, and perhaps getting it all wrong. Getting into relationships, breaking up, being real, being crude sometimes, and being vulnerable. There is no bandwagon to jump on or media to hide behind… it’s all to figure out raw and real. 

Many reviews have been written about this series and I can’t word it any better then what hasn’t already been said. But here is what Neil Gaiman said about it on the back of Vol I: “What most people don’t know about love, sex and relations with other human beings would fill a book. Strangers in Paradise is that book.”

And that is sort of how I feel about it. The characters here are all very different from one another and so are their tempers and experiences and how they deal with certain situations. I want to almost say that perhaps now a days young people don’t go through so much drama anymore, but I could be wrong on that or too old by now. But what used to be more taboo just isn’t so anymore today. This graphic novel talks about some of those taboos, which I had not come in contact much in the 90’s since it simply wasn’t talked about. 


“And still the storm approaches. And there's nothing I can do. So I wait and watch and feel his breath against my face, cool and brave. His salt licks my skin, his promise brushes my hair. His fury drives the wind to touch my cheek and whisper something I can't hear.

I think he loves me.
I think he comes to see me.

I am young. I will learn” 
― Terry Moore, Strangers in Paradise, Pocket Book 1


“The ocean tosses up a thousand arms to embrace the storm that falls across her like a drunken sailor. His thunder slaps her thighs, his lighting piercing her waters.
They pound me between the hips and I begin to panic, knowing their passion will destroy me.” 
― Terry Moore, Strangers in Paradise, Pocket Book 1

To sum it up, I will be following Katchoo and her friends along for a few more volumes in the series. I have heard many great things about it since my interest was piqued in it and our library has most of the volumes. As a matter of fact, the staff just contacted me that they are getting a whole new set of all the volumes, since it is having such popular come back.