Lucky is a collection of three Lucky comic books chronicling Gabrielle Bell's life in 2003 and 2004 as she lives as a low-income artist in Brooklyn.  Bell is in her twenties and has a boyfriend, Tom, and for the first issue, much of their time is spent dealing with roommates and finding apartments.  Her drawing style is simple (reminiscent of Sally Forth) and she uses quite a few words.  In issue #1, she gets 6 or 8 cells per page, while for issues #2 and #3, she increases the size of the cells so that there are just four per page, and often with less text.  There are 3 short extra stories at the end. 

Through the book, we see Bell's style developing, becoming bolder and more eye-catching.  Her stories also develop: the initial focus on her relationship with her boyfriend and their search for an apartment may hold interest for other Brooklyn residents, but most people will find it rather tame.  In issue, she depicts her visit to the Dia Center for the Arts, which is the county's largest modern art museum, and that's a little more interesting.  Her visit to a yoga class is quite funny.  Issue #3 has a story about her job teaching two 12-year-old French boys is maybe the strongest in the book, because it again funny and it is less about Bell and more about the family of the boys.  There are only so many stories about the trials and tribulations of being an indie comic book artist living in Brooklyn that most of us want to read, and Adrian Tomine's latest collection has been explored some of that.  Bell's work is pleasant and it has its own character, but it is on the bland side.  Her work shows promise, and it's worth looking out for her future publications. 

© 2007 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Dowling College, Long Island. He is also editor of Metapsychology Online Reviews.  His main research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: ArtAndPhotography