REVIEW: Lost at Sea (2003)

Before O’Malley crashed into popularity with the (Amazing) Scott Pilgrim series, their was Lost at Sea.  Lost at sea is a look at the confusing lonely time of being a teenager.

Lost at Sea

Writer and Artist:  Bryan Lee O’Malley
Editor: James Lucas Jones
Publisher: Oni Press
Price: $11.95

What is Up: Raleigh( man that is a bitch to type) is an 18 year old on a road trip from California to her home in Canada.  Raleigh doesn’t think she has a soul. She is not sure what happened to it, but she thinks cats are somehow involved.

I know that sounds super crazy, but the tone here is completely different then Scott Pilgrim.  However Raleigh and Scott go on similar personal journeys. Raleigh starts as a very shy, quiet individual who thinks she is alone in the world, but she grows up over the course of the book.

The book is comprised of a series of flashbacks interspersed with her road trip back home. During all of this we get Raleigh’s cynical narration about what is going on. The flashbacks are drab , and depressing while the road trip is upbeat and rowdy the whole way. They provide a nice contrast to each other as you read.

Art: The art is simple, and it works. I don’t mean simple in a bad way at all, but there is not huge detail in the characters or most of the environments.  Each character is distinctive, and they all emote very well.

Bottom Line: On the back there is a quote from Craig Thompson of Blankets fame, and that made me realize; Lost at Sea and Blankets have very similar styles.  They are both black and white, and they both are very personal stories.  Just like Blankets characters have dirty mouths, so watch out for that.  The art works, I don’t think O’Malley’s art was as good in this as Scott Pilgrim but I like it.

If you like Blankets, or enjoy a serious story about personal growth with humor sprinkled on top then this book is for you.