CSBG Archive
The Reread Reviews — Young Liars Finale Countdown (Issue 14)
In the lead-up to Young Liars ending on September 2 with issue 18, I will be rereading the 17 issues already out and discussing them at a rate of one issue per day. I haven’t reread any of these comics since they came out, so it should be fun. Spoilers, of course. Let’s dance!
Young Liars #14, “Pencil Rot,” by David Lapham is a follow-up, of sorts, to issue eight, which, you’ll recall, was narrated by Annie X, revealed as a Spider. She narrates this issue as well under the guise of Jackie, a nurse in Browning, Arizona, who provides Johnny Jukebox with drugs and is Loreli’s best friend. I don’t have a huge amount of things to say about this issue. Last issue, Johnny remembered that he’s really Danny and sprung that knowledge on Loreli, claiming that she’s Sadie. This issue, Loreli has been showing up with odd injuries, Johnny wants stimulants instead of his usual brand of depressents, and Jackie wants a nose job.
This issue is a character piece on Jackie/Annie, highlighting that her body image problems aren’t the usual bullshit, but because she’s a Spider and hates living in a human body. Her plastic surgeries seem to be attempts at making her human body more like that of a Spider. Interesting approach by Lapham.
At the end, we find out that Danny/Johnny has been playing Jackie here and has learned everything she knows about the Spiders and their plans. There’s even a great visual allusion to the series’s genesis as an update of Bulletgirl.
It’s a good issue. Sorry that this post is so short — I’ve got a mean headache and writing this is just a pain. As I said, I don’t have a lot to say anyway.
See you tomorrow.
3 Comments
Con
August 16, 2009 at 9:33 am
Loving these columns. I hope Lapham picks this series up again in the future. I’m only reading the trades and I see that the next one isn’t out till January. I WANT IT NOW!
Chad Nevett
August 16, 2009 at 10:01 am
I would suggest buying the final six issues, but… well, if you’ve got two trades with only one left, I’d stick with the trades.
tk.
August 17, 2009 at 7:53 am
“Pencil Rot” is the name of a SM & The Jicks song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_the_Truth_%28album%29