Dumped
By Andi Watson
Published by Oni Press
Andi Watson is a gifted illustrator who creates a convincing portrait of a young couple who drift together despite themselves in the thin, spare graphic novel called Dumped.
There's multiple meaning to be found in the title, as not only is someone dumped in the story, but both of the main characters (really, only characters -- this is essentially a two-person play with some stick figures for the characters to explain themselves to, and that's just fine) are obsessed with stuff that's been dumped. Debs is fascinated by vintage clothing, and yet is repulsed by Binny's preoccupation with old books, particularly those with some sign of their use such as margin notes, which help him to find the "story" of the book's existence.
Both Binny and Debs are strong, quirky personalities, and being somewhat evenly matched they repel each other as much as they attract. Debs is the more repelled of the two, though, and her actions and reactions tend to drive the relationship through its peaks and valleys. The revelation of her stark lifestyle in comparison to Binny's rather more full one paints a stark contrast between the pair, one wanting to hold on to everything he can, one running as fast as she can from any real memento of substance.
Neither character is terribly appealing on their own, but Watson's narrative style and strong, simple sense of design carry the reader through with a definite sense of place and a strong suspicion that these two could be better people if they'd only stop talking long enough to start living.
The art is the main appeal for me here, Watson communicating vast amounts of information about mood and setting with just a few lines and shadings in each panel. He's an artist's artist, and the book is one of the nicest, most appealing graphic novels I've seen, lean and graceful and attractive to the eye. Given both the format and the material it encompasses, I'd think this is just the sort of thing that should appeal to non-comics readers: A dramatic little romance comic with tons of heart and absolutely no false sentiment. Grade: 4/5