D. C. Comics

Daniel Clowes has a new graphic novel out, Patience.  It's 180 pages and tells one long story, but unlike a lot of his best-known work--Ghost World, Ice Haven, Wilson--it has a sci-fi plot.  It starts out as a realistic, troubled romance--Clowes territory--where two young lovers without much money or prospects face the demands of a pregnancy.  But then things change. He comes home and finds her murdered.

Her name, by the way, is Patience, hence the title, though I think, considering what the hero and heroine go through, it has a double meaning.  Because, it turns out, they both have a lot to go through, in an adventure that will take years.

Because he lives on, in misery, until he finds out about time travel and decides to return to earlier years to save Patience and her baby.  The question then becomes not only will he mange to control the technology, but will this be one of those stories where going back in time doesn't mean you can change things, but simply means you fulfill what already happened.

I prefer Clowes more down-to-earth stuff.  Sure, there's plenty of gritty material in Patience once you get beyond the fantasy aspects, but the sci-fi angle (as much as I love it in other stories) can get in the way of the connections between people that were examined so well in previous work.

Still, I would recommend it. It looks good, moves well and keeps you guessing until the end.