Final Cut – 2024 (Pantheon Books/Graphic Library) – Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Drama
Author: Charles Burns
Art: Charles Burns
Series Contents: Final Cut – Graphic Novel
Both realistic and dreamlike, Final Cut is a personal tale of the love of movie-making, art, Sci-Fi, and surreal special effects combined with coming-of-age type themes such as love, friendship, jealousy, family and more. The tale is unlike most other stories I have read, and touches on many interesting aspects of life, the mind and creativity.
Story:
A simplistic breakdown of the somewhat ambiguous story presented is: moody and medicated artist Brian has been friends with Jimmy for years, the pair making their own “home-movies” of their Sci-Fi scripts which emulate the popular movies of the 1950s. Their love for Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the like have driven them to use their infinite imagination and creativity of youth to create film.
However, now they are somewhat older, with some of the dynamic remaining the same, and other parts of it challenged by new things, like girls and mental health. Brian has always been a bit “different” in some ways; however, they seem very human however make him feel like an alien. Medication may help some of it, but it also kills other parts of his interpretation of the world, and emotional feelings. Sometimes it’s as if he’s a million miles away, despite his friends trying to include him. His home life is complicated as well, which does not make things better.
Despite these growing pains, Brian is interested a new friend Laurie, who starts doubling as his somewhat obsessive muse. She starts making her way into his art, his dreams, his fantasies. As Brian and Laurie begin to get to know each other, they spend time with Jimmy and Tina, another young somewhat couple. Does Laurie feel anything back towards Brian, or is it just friendship? Will she understand his obsession with his Sci-Fi ideas and movie-making, and love of film nuances, or will it overwhelm her?
This story is a very adult tale which tackles complex ideas and emotions, while displaying imagination and fantasy elements. It is definitely a good experience, and should be checked out by those willing to go for something new.
Art:
The art matches the realistic yet dreamlike approach of the script, going hand in hand. While some of it is presented as simply as possible, such as character models and faces, they always have nice details. Some of the backgrounds and fantasy elements are insanely detailed also, which gives a feast for the eyes overall. The art in general fits very well, giving both an eerie and familiar vibe. The details presented enhance the words, and the art is nice to look at, and quite creative when alien ideas are involved. The story is cohesively enhanced with the strong art pairing.
Reasons to Read:
While this is my only run in with Charles Burns, I would check out his other work as this was very creative while remaining completely grounded in reality, somehow. It touched on all sorts of awesome aspects of movies, as well as life, and had some sound observations on the interactions of people. It felt very personal, in a great way. The zany at times art fits the mood always, and drives home some of the script’s points quite well visually.
I have not read much like this comic wise so anything below is either by the same author (which I have not yet read, but would based on this story), or other personal fantasy type tales by other authors.
Similar Titles:
Black Hole; X’ed Out; The Hive; Sugar Skull; Last Look; The Filth; Middlewest