Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Image, Review | Tagged: getting it together, image comics, jenny d fine, Omar Spahi, Sina grace

Getting it Together #2 Review: A Slice-of-Life Villain?

Getting it Together debuted with a first issue that felt designed to be a modern-day Friends with an indie edge. Slice-of-life series like this were once staples of indie comics with series like Local, early work by Getting it Together co-writer Sina Grace, Lost at Sea, Blankets, and countless more. Now, as this kind of work gets more uncommon from the major creator-owned publishers, it's interesting to see Image Comics put their weight behind this series. But does Getting it Together live up to the hype?

Getting it Together #2 will entertain readers who enjoyed the first issue while not doing much to convince people who didn't outright love it from the start. Jack, brother of Lauren and best friend of Sam, is the shining star of this book. His dating life as he navigates Tinder, attempting to find a good match, is far and away from the most interesting storyline, and the pages spent on him in the main tale, as well as the bonus comic, make for great reading. The storylines focusing on Sam and Lauren's broken relationship and Lauren's band drama, though, are not on the same level of storytelling. There is a lack of stakes for both of these storylines because of the little development we've seen for Lauren. We don't understand why Sam is hanging out with Lauren after they've broken up. We don't understand why the band puts up with Lauren's drama. Lauren reads, in the last issue and this issue, as an entitled, violent, belligerent sociopath in every situation she's in.

This kind of character would be understandable if the other characters treated her as she is written, but that isn't the case here. Slice-of-life stories don't often get outright villains, but Lauren brings real Big Bad energy with this series… and it's a bit confusing why the other characters haven't caught on. In any case, Sina Grace is a slice-of-life king, and co-writer Omar Spahi blends well with him, but Getting it Together will really soar if the other storylines can be treated with the same balance and realism as Jack's.

The scratchy but graceful interiors by artist Jenny D. Fine and colorist Mx. Struble are effective. Fine uses a different, softer, more painterly style for the cover, though, and one can't help but wonder how that style would've looked for the interiors. That cover, Getting it Together #2 Cover A, is easily the best cover of the series. Artist Erika Schnatz is also a delight here with a short at the end, focusing on Jack, which was the most well-executed, concise, and flat-out funny joke of the issue. Getting it Together tries some pretty wild bits, and some of the jokes land while others don't. Still, that bonus comic was a perfect example of art and a nicely written story working together to deliver a well-written joke without feeling like it's bending over backward to be funny.

Overall, the whole team on Getting it Together, including letterer Sean Konot, create a readable comic. With more care taken for the non-Jack storylines, though, it could go from a pretty fun comic to a must-read.

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