It’s been four years since the last edition of Therese’s Her Wonderful Life, but the anguish of lost love has not yet dissipated. In fact, the pain seems even more acute, with Therese’s sparse thin drawings of broken hearts and the words “I’ve met someone” oozing out of them, evoking a despair bordering on mawkish. There are some great moments in this series of images and text – essentially a rumination on a failed relationship. For instance, a drawing of a naked woman with a black line across her face and the caption “What Lies Between Us” evoke sensuality, jealousy, desperation, and bewilderment. But other panels just seem too maudlin – such as the drawing of Therese crying in bed accompanied by text explaining how she was supposed to be making “passionate-I’m-so-happy-to-be-back-in-your-arms-love” but instead she is alone and “crying with swollen slits where brown eyes used to be.” Therese is sincere, but her efforts to convey that sincerity don’t always captivate. (Hal Niedzviecki)
comic, #4, 32 pgs, Therese Starck, 1460 Gladstone Ave, Victoria, BC, V8R 1S3