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Reel Love #1-2
Reel Love
In a quiet corner of England, a young boy visits the cinema for the first time. Overwhelmed by the experience, he returns to see a movie which will ignite his imagination, fill his head with fantasy and change the course of his life. That enthusiasm carries him though to his adolescence, when he gets a part-time job as an usher at his local cinema. Falling in with the motley crew of cinephile staff, he falls in love, finds his tribe, and fantasises about his film-filled future. The final act sees that same boy as a grown man, back in his hometown after life panned out in a slightly unexpected way. When an opportunity to break into the film world presents itself, he finds that his life has come full circle as he sets out again to make his magnum opus…
- GenresGraphic Novels
160 pages, Paperback
Published January 24, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 26, 2018
I really didn’t know what to expect with Reel Love. Wasn’t sure if it’d be my thing. Owen’s earlier work popped. Raygun Roads was ugly, angry, and amazing. It sucked me in despite myself, then blew my mind. Beast Wagon’s story had me hooked from the first page and it looked *gorgeous*. (Still need to get hold of the full collection, actually.)
But I was wary of this one, somehow. ‘Reel Love.’ The pun-title irritated the editor in me. The subject matter slid by my brain with barely a ripple: a love-affair with cinema? A semi-autobiographical coming of age tale, scrappily scrawled in his own ink? It sounded a bit self-indulgent. A bit slender. I was going to give it a miss, thanks anyway.
I would have been a god-damned fool.
This is absolutely stunning work. The characters are relatable, engaging, and effectively sketched out within a few short panels. The story is elusive, almost picaresque, until we come to the end and realise just how skilfully we’ve been led through our journey. The artwork may look a little scrappy but it fits perfectly. It speaks of acute observation, of attention to the right kind of detail which not only complements the story but adds to our understanding of the character, and the creator at the heart of it all.
It’ll take me several read-through’s to fully appreciate what Owen’s done here, I’m sure, but I’ve been so filled with excitement as I’ve read it that I wanted to transmit some of that experience here, now, and hopefully get more of you reading his work.
There are depths to this book that speak of a man who has soaked in the whole world, and he simply doesn’t have enough time to explain all he’s discovered. Except that he does, layering in the human condition, friendships, relationships, culture, humour, artistic struggles versus economic realities, burning dreams, crushing truths, and on, and on.
You need to read this. You need to read everything Owen puts out, because it is never self-indulgent, it’s never just a bit of slender frippery. He’s the real deal, my friends. The real deal.
Go get ‘em.
But I was wary of this one, somehow. ‘Reel Love.’ The pun-title irritated the editor in me. The subject matter slid by my brain with barely a ripple: a love-affair with cinema? A semi-autobiographical coming of age tale, scrappily scrawled in his own ink? It sounded a bit self-indulgent. A bit slender. I was going to give it a miss, thanks anyway.
I would have been a god-damned fool.
This is absolutely stunning work. The characters are relatable, engaging, and effectively sketched out within a few short panels. The story is elusive, almost picaresque, until we come to the end and realise just how skilfully we’ve been led through our journey. The artwork may look a little scrappy but it fits perfectly. It speaks of acute observation, of attention to the right kind of detail which not only complements the story but adds to our understanding of the character, and the creator at the heart of it all.
It’ll take me several read-through’s to fully appreciate what Owen’s done here, I’m sure, but I’ve been so filled with excitement as I’ve read it that I wanted to transmit some of that experience here, now, and hopefully get more of you reading his work.
There are depths to this book that speak of a man who has soaked in the whole world, and he simply doesn’t have enough time to explain all he’s discovered. Except that he does, layering in the human condition, friendships, relationships, culture, humour, artistic struggles versus economic realities, burning dreams, crushing truths, and on, and on.
You need to read this. You need to read everything Owen puts out, because it is never self-indulgent, it’s never just a bit of slender frippery. He’s the real deal, my friends. The real deal.
Go get ‘em.
February 19, 2019
This is a sweet, poignant and drama-filled story about cinema; about growing up, discovering love and life and passion; about having dreams broken and then finding them; and about how to rediscover something that you weren’t sure if you’d broken forever, or just needed to see under the layers of influence and memory.
The artwork is lovely; Johnson’s got a dramatic style and an eye for visuals that really works with the subject matter, and takes a lot of influence from a wide variety of film. There are multiple references to the genre – both from the visuals, the plots, and the directing side – but it’s also a sweet and simple story about love, and family, hometowns, moving away and coming back, teaching, memory and learning.
There’s a lot of love and passion that comes through in the story; it’s a tribute both to growing up, to memory and influence, and to the films that shape the protagonist, and a beautifully drawn series. If you’re into film or memoir, it’s worth a read.
The artwork is lovely; Johnson’s got a dramatic style and an eye for visuals that really works with the subject matter, and takes a lot of influence from a wide variety of film. There are multiple references to the genre – both from the visuals, the plots, and the directing side – but it’s also a sweet and simple story about love, and family, hometowns, moving away and coming back, teaching, memory and learning.
There’s a lot of love and passion that comes through in the story; it’s a tribute both to growing up, to memory and influence, and to the films that shape the protagonist, and a beautifully drawn series. If you’re into film or memoir, it’s worth a read.
June 30, 2022
Aw, that was super sweet.
Follow the passion for film in this graphic novel Reel Love. The main character being obsessed with movies from his first.
It's a pretty good graphic novel, I thought it would get dry a few times, but I was pleasently surprised.
Follow the passion for film in this graphic novel Reel Love. The main character being obsessed with movies from his first.
It's a pretty good graphic novel, I thought it would get dry a few times, but I was pleasently surprised.
December 3, 2018
Just loved this: a beautiful comic for all those who love the cinema. Great storytelling and an end that brought a lump to my throat.
September 2, 2023
A bold story with a bold art style I kind of like, I took it as not really just about film but all art and creative ambition, through the lens of one man's personal journey through his film-related career and personal life.
Deep down I think, this story has a sweet and passionate heart, clear beyond some of the crudeness of the language.
Deep down I think, this story has a sweet and passionate heart, clear beyond some of the crudeness of the language.
November 16, 2024
I picked up Owen Michael Johnson’s Reel Love a few years ago from the independent comics section at Forbidden Planet in London where it stood out thanks to both its bright yellow colour and evident link to cinema and coming of age stories.
For some reason it’s taken me a while to get to actually reading it, but I now have, and I have to say I wished I hadn’t left it as long.
In terms of the story we follow a boy as he makes his first visit to a cinema and grows to not just love film but start making his own and start working in his local cinema in a way that very much has an autobiographical feel…
https://tommygirard.wordpress.com/202...
For some reason it’s taken me a while to get to actually reading it, but I now have, and I have to say I wished I hadn’t left it as long.
In terms of the story we follow a boy as he makes his first visit to a cinema and grows to not just love film but start making his own and start working in his local cinema in a way that very much has an autobiographical feel…
https://tommygirard.wordpress.com/202...
November 2, 2019
Okay, so I don’t understand this book it’s kinda boring and I really I don’t understand the point of this book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews