Seconds

 

Hello travelers,

Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley is a graphic novel published by Ballantine Books in 2014. O'Malley is most well known for his Scott Pilgrim books along with Lost at Sea and his work on other comics such as Young Avengers #1 and The Wicked + The Divine #1. He has won three Doug Wright Awards, nine Harvey Awards, an Eagle Award, seven Joe Shuster Awards, three Eisner Awards, and a National Cartoonists Society Division Award.

So what's it about?

Seconds follows Katie, a young chef who is trying to open her own restaurant, who encounters a strange girl named Lis. Lis gives Katie a mushroom for "when things go wrong." The next day, one of the restaurant workers is burned in an accident and Katie realizes it is her fault. She takes the mushroom and wakes up to find the event of the night before have changed. 

Desperate to gain control of her chaotic life and make everything perfect, she discover Lis' stash of time altering mushrooms and uses them to improve her life. She gets her boyfriend back, makes better decisions about her new restaurant, and fixes her relationships with her co-workers. But every time she alters her past, it gives the thing growing in the storeroom more power until Katie is no longer the one in control and Lis can no longer protect her home.

This is a story about choices, consequences, and not always knowing what's best for yourself. There's one section of the story where Katie uses a mushroom to get back with her boyfriend, who she's been avoiding most of the story, only to realize she doesn't function well in the world where he is controlling many decisions regarding her restaurant. She tries to be perfect for him, using mushrooms to fix her mistakes so she won't anger him and risk being along again. 

There's elements of magic that I really liked. I enjoyed seeing Hazel go through her ritual of appeasing the house spirit and how her relationship with Katie developed throughout all of the time changes. 

It's also nice to see Katie realizing her world is crumbling but she also doesn't want to give all of it up. In the end, it's this realization that saves her. 

I also likes how the narrator and Katie sometimes interact with each other. The narrative text gives the reader some information and Katie will directly comment on the information. 

The art is also great. It's simple designs, lots of rounded corners and big eyes, but the coloration and lighting of each panel conveys so much about the story and the world, including which "world" we are seeing. 

Part of me wished we'd get a little more with Hazel, Lis, and the witch but I know it's not the center of the story.

Overall, a great graphic novel that everyone should read. It's short. It's cozy. And it has a good message.

Note: some suggestive material.

Until next time, friends.