Written by Vem and Steven Thadeus
Art by Anthony Diecidue
How far would you go for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
The Story
Krikor escapes from war-torn Georgia (the Asian country, not the state) to America. Specifically Hollywood. His goal is the American dream, to build a better future for himself and provide for his family he leaves behind. He works odd cleaning jobs, but the local mafia and seedy underworld of his multi-ethnic community keep making an honest living harder and harder.
It’s a neat read with a likeable character, following all the crap (and urine) Krikor goes through, both to get to America and once he is here. Yet he takes it all in stride, humbly working benign jobs to make a better life for himself and his family. This altruistic nature is something audiences can easily sympathize with.
The obvious hot-button political issue involved here is the point of illegal immigration, which is subtly handled in the book, to its merit. It’s not a topic typically discussed in comics (where’s the crackdown on Superman’s immigration status?), but low key is probably the way to go. The politics would distract from the main point of the issue, which is feel-good tale of Krikor trying to make a good life for himself and his family. Krikor is never actually labeled as an illegal immigrant, although it’s easy to infer from the story and the single mention of “illegal immigration” in the whole issue. But that doesn’t matter as long as Krikor keeps honestly working hard.
This brings me to the one worrisome aspect I had with this issue, the hints of leading Krikor down a darker path. The introduction of the criminal element seems set up to give Krikor a “get rich quick” scheme through more nefarious means than cleaning floors. If that follows through, the character sympathy might get shot and this series becomes another Scarface wannabe. It’s an entertaining look at the immigrant element of our country wanting to be stand-up citizens, and I hope Krikor keeps trying to live up to that. Worth grabbing the next issue to find out.
8/10
The Art
This is a nice looking book. Anthony Diecidue does a great job capturing the plight Krikor and the other characters go through, as well as the emotions they express. Krikor in particularly looks rough and weary, and when he gets to America, a mix of sadness and optimism fill his face, and this all is well expressed.
The rough drawn style really works with this, and the toned-down coloring adds to the grittiness of the story. In a couple of scenes, the colored lighting fittingly accentuates the tones, with a red glow around danger and warm sun light around relief.
8/10
Hollyvood really is the telling of the American dream, the pursuit of happiness. It’s got an interesting lead audiences can get behind and cheer for, and it looks good too.
Overall (Not an average) 8/10
The Review
Story 8/10
Art 7.5/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10