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Fraction, a graphic novel by David Tischman and Timothy Green II, isn’t about heroes, even though there are plenty of villains. The main characters are four guys in their twenties, who were jerks in high school, and mostly losers afterwards.
Mike’s a loose cannon with a troubled childhood making his way as a thief, Ford just got out of prison and is barely staying away from his addiction to alcohol, and Pete lives with his domineering mother while living off disability. The “mostly” to this group goes to Trent, a good dad with a sense of morality and a steady job, yet still managed to screw up his personal life with adultery.
The setting is a working class neighborhood in Philadelphia where life is a balance between hard times and forgetting about those times with friends. That last sentence captures the way Tischman romanticizes this world, and the not-very-likable characters. Yet, it comes across as sincere—he really thinks those guys are cool. Ick. Green, although amazingly versatile with his male characters, tends to make 90% of the woman look like the same version of someone's fantasy lady.
The story was recommended by a librarian friend—a guy—and I rolled my eyes at this stereotypical alpha-male universe…and yet…I couldn’t stop reading. I had a bag of cookies next to me and ended up making myself sick because I ate the whole thing while devouring this novel in one afternoon.
The four main guys “find” (aka: steal) a super suit and, not trusting each other, each take a piece: helmet, chest plate, gloves, and boots. Their first use of this incredible gift is to steal money. It doesn’t go very well. And their adventures get worse.
I couldn’t keep my eyes away from this train wreck of choices that practically destroy their very lives and the people they care about. Absolutely compelling. The dialogue was real, and the characters stayed true to who they were: jerks, but loyal jerks trying to find some kind of joy in a rough world.
The facial expressions alone are enough to keep anyone staring at these pages. But the detail and movement Green puts in his art impressed me more and more as I made it to the end. Not my favorite style of comic art, but perfect for this story.
Definitely for upper YA and adult. Fraction is a macho comic, but good storytelling is good storytelling.
