Admittedly, I am partial to capes and tights, but we all know there is so much comic goodness out there that doesn’t have an inch of spandex in its pages. Recently, my LCS owner encouraged me to read Strangers in Paradise, a title I was aware of, but hadn’t had much interest in. He loaned me the first trade, and I thought it was an absolute hoot.
The characters are ostentatious stereotypes of men and women. On a normal day, that would probably irritate me. But it is so over the top, it ends up being amusing and adds a dash of excitement to the book. The character with the most flair is Katina Choovanski. Her friends call her Katchoo. Ms. Choovanski takes the “angry lesbian” to an entirely other plane. Between drinking, crushing on her best friend Francine, and abusing her alarm clock, she finds time to faux-castrate the man who broke her bestie’s heart. She’s a bossy, smart, uncouth artist, and she makes no apologies. I love it!
While I’ve only read Vol. 1 of Strangers in Paradise, it would seem that Katchoo’s badassery is vast, and her past is tangled with covert operations, prostitution, and the mob. Katchoo may not be the ideal role model, but she can so kick your ass.
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Please please do read the rest of the volumes … there is so much more depth to her character (and all the others, even some you wouldn’t expect) as the storyline continues. It’s one of my absolute favourites, and I’m so glad I had the chance to meet Terry Moore once and tell him so.
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Wonderful! I think I will do that. :-)
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All I can see in this drawing is that she is ruining a good leather jacket and the fashionista in me is crying foul! ;)
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I have just reserved the first collection book from my public library!
I am looking forward to it! :)
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Hi E and V!
I just wanted to tell you that I am now reading the first volume of Strangers in Paradise and I LOVE IT!
Thanks for recommending it! It is a great series! :)
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Wonderful! So glad you are enjoying it.
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I’ve always thought the first trade was far and away Terry’s weakest material. As the book came more down-to-earth and built a history and a world around those over-the-top characters, it became one of the most impressive runs in American sequential art. You’re in for a treat as you wend your way through the series.
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