Review by Frank Plowright
Love Everlasting begins in the 1950s with a brief opening chapter that’s a note perfect homage to that era’s romance comics. Joan has moved to New York, envies her room-mate’s relationship with company boss George, and leaps at the chance to become a secretary at his company. Over eight beautifully drawn pages Elsa Charretier supplies the era, the yearning and the misunderstandings of Tom King’s plot. The same applies to the following eight pages, this time set in the 1960s, also starring a young woman named Joan Peterson, this time exploring the new opportunities of that decade. However, while attracted to folk singer Kit, and who wouldn’t be in that tasselled suede jacket, she keeps subconsciously referencing George. After that there’s an equally accomplished Western romance, then Joan as a nurse. What is going on?
The premise seems to be King genuinely wanting to try writing some old fashioned romance comics, but realising even with his name attached the audience would be small, so he’s bolted on the mystery of why the same woman appears in each new romance. The short stories give way to some occupying several chapters in order to drag out the torment and ensure maximum palpitations for Joan’s poor heart. She’s the servant growing up with the son of the house in a 19th century English mansion, a spinster librarian in the 1950s and a French bar singer during World War I.
Charretier draws each of them stylishly, recreating each new environment with panache, the compositions thoughtful, and the panels oozing period detail as King explores the possibilities of the surroundings and situations. The back cover blurb talks of subverting the romance genre, but over this collection at least there’s very little subversion beyond each new outing ending in extreme violence. That is until the final chapter, when the pattern is broken and Joan finds herself chatting to a woman who delivers love advice, and finding that advice is distinctly off-key.
For anyone who enjoys an old fashioned romance comic whether genuinely or cloaked in a veil of irony, Love Everlasting is a real treat. However, the reality is most readers only like the occasional dabble in romance comics, and there’s the feeling that Vol. 2 will need to broaden the parameters for interest to be maintained. Still, that’s a concern for another day, and a wallow here offers many joys.
