Liz Prince is great. She is. Her autobiographical comics are some of the best and frankly any creator that can put their real life on display like this is brave as fuck. I couldn’t do this so first and foremost I respect anyone that can. Having read Will You Still Love Me If I Wet The Bed? and loving it (It’s very McDonalds), I couldn’t wait to read the singles collection especially since Wet the Bed was a relationship book and Alone Forever is the exact opposite. But then it’s the best of both worlds because everyone that’s dated knows that at times its great and yet miserable to be in a relationship and then being alone is… well the same way. They’re just opposite sides of the same coin.
The stories in Alone Forever come from Princes’ web comic and as such there’s a different flow to the graphic novel than a traditional “made for print” graphic novel. There are times in which it’s clear that a comic was created to be created. Because a situation came up and nothing more and it works. Sure while the overall theme is looking for love, it was good to take breaks.
Overall I enjoyed the graphic novel. It’s not the strongest because there is a strange pacing and what comes across as random additions, even if they are enjoyable. There’s not uniting narrative, sometimes you’re just in the thick of it with Prince and other times she narrates to you guiding you through the experience. Both work, but one unified style definitely would have helped the reading experience.
The art is always spot on though. I really do enjoy Prince’s style. The details are subtle and simple, but the composition is refined. Prince’s style really captures… well life. That’s why I like it. Her facial expressions to just presenting real moments between two people be they strangers or friends.
If you like autobiographic comics then you should be all over this book. It’s funny, it’s relatable. I mean it’s very relatable. I say that as a married man, that this book definitely had “everyone goes through a version of that” moments. If you’re not into slices of real life then still give it a try because you might find that you are. There’s no real narrative per say, but the theme is present throughout and the art is spot on.
Score: 4/5
Alone Forever – The Singles Collection Creator: Liz Prince Publisher: Top Shelf Comics Price: $9.95 Release Date: 2/18/15 Format: TPB; Print