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REVIEW: DRAMACON  One of the best parts about this medium is when a book that you already know is going to be good, debuts even better then you had anticipated. Bryan Lee O'Malley completely surprised me with LOST AT SEA. The FLIGHT anthology crew stepped up and blew everyone away... twice! And with DRAMACON, Svetlana debuted with a book that surpassed my expectations. This on top of the fact that I'd already thought it was great before it even came out. From the preview pages accompanying this review you can see that the book is brimming with humour from the very get go, but as you go on you'll quickly see the story evolve to very effectively live up the books title.     The premiere book in the series focuses on amateur writer Christie on her first ever trip to an anime convention. Christie is young and cute though a little introverted, or at least, she hasn't quite come out of her shell just yet. That changes over the course of the story as her relationship with her boyfriend wanes as she realizes he's a flirt and a dick, and she meets a mysterious stranger all decked out in a stylish cosplay outfit with action film shades on all the time. In an uncomfortable setting the stranger becomes the most comforting aspect of her life which in turn allows her to ease into the engrossing convention scene, breaking away from her table to get her fill of merchandise and get her ego stroked.     DRAMACON, the setting of the convention sets you up with a clear view of the characters surroundings, a whirlwind of adolescence and geekdom, but the depth of the drama that Svet portrays lifts the story from it's surroundings while at the same time pulling you in to take a vested interest in the fates of the characters. But things get worse before they get better. The 'White Knight' syndrome is a scenario involving a damsel in distress rescued by a valiant man which usually involves some immediate attraction between the two. When the drama escalates between Christie and boyfriend Derek, Matt feels the need to react, and he does -in the very predictable yet exact same manner every man would- because -there are just some things you DON'T DO. This is handled very well and may be one of my favourite scenes [aside from the taunts of tentacle porn], but it also serves to show how well Svet has integrated her anime and manga influences, allowing her to be able to go from hyper-expressive and light-hearted to deeply profound and solemn without breaking the flow of the story and giving even more meaningful substance to the in-between moments where it's o-k to smile and hold hands, no matter what is going on around you. I'll share a little something with you while you're here by the way, I have no doubt there are far far more men who dream of being a White Knight then there are women who dream of being saved by one. Why do you think so many grown men still love superheroes? Be the good guy, save the girl. Mainstream comics are one big elaborate fantasy.     As the story progresses, obstacles are conquered and fun is had by all but new obstacles arise as new friends have to part ways leaving what happens next completely to chance. All they know is that they'll be coming back next year. The artwork perfectly matches the story, Svet has a keen understanding of the expressive nature of her characters she knows how to perfectly portray then without giving too much or too little. In a way, she has an ability to make everything cute and thus invokes the readers to take a vested interest in the lives of her fun, melodramatic, heart on their sleeve wearing characters.     When it comes to toning, I'm still attuned to the mindset of pens and brushes as great tools then to that of wacoms and photoshop, but Svet uses the tones to further convey the emotional elements of the scenes. Hard inks and lightning cracks for one extreme and light and soft snowflake effects for the sweeter moments. Much like the way colourists use striking colours to convey emotion. So future artists take note, toning: for more then just filler.     DRAMACON will appeal to all you comics readers who, deep down, are giddy romantics at heart, and as a part of the comic buying industry, you may even see yourself reflected in one of the characters featured therein. Pick up a copy of DRAMACON, you'll like it, trust me. It's sweet.      
 Jonathan Ellis Is Co-Editor in Chief of PopImage  PopImage Forum - Discuss this message at the PopImage forum. E-Mail Us - E-Mail Us To Comment On This Article. Svetlana's Website Tokyopop.com Reviews Archive - Read past Reviews |
DRAMACON VOLUME 1
