In the tradition of wacky body swap fantasies like Freaky Friday and Big (still Tim Honks’ best movie) comes the story of a grouchy 33 year old who meets her 15 year old self somehow! They fight, They bite, They bite and fight and bite, Bite, bite, bite, Fight, fight, fight, The Itchy and Scratchy Show Luisa: Now and Then! But, y’know, slightly more serious because LGBT stuff.
It’s an ok book. I admired Carole Maurel’s art more than her writing. I loved the coloured washes she used and the line work is really skilful – she conveys body language superbly. I enjoyed the visuals all the way through and that sequence towards the end when the aunt morphs from sitting at her table in despair into a flower over four panels was amazing.
But the story could’ve been tighter and more focused. Basically once the two Luisas meet nothing much happens. They fight, they find each other’s attitudes appalling, older Luisa is reminded of the optimism of youth, younger Luisa learns that growing up entails compromise, there’s a forced love interest – it’s not much considering the fantastical nature of the meeting! And it’s also a bit unsatisfying – how about exploring why something so extraordinary happened? Or why younger Luisa is “crumbling”? We’re not given any answers making it feel all the more flaky, underwritten and unimaginative.
It would’ve worked better as a metaphor for the older Luisa reconnecting with her former self instead of having her as a literal character, interacting with Luisa’s friends and neighbours. And I sorta get why it had to be 15 year old Luisa – because of an encounter with her friend at that age – but having her transported to the future just felt so contrived. It doesn’t even tally with the uninspired message of the book – homosexual tolerance – as the lesbian’s family moved not because of bigotry but because her dad got a job elsewhere!
This is an aside but why is Mariko Tamaki credited – what did she do? Carole Maurel wrote and drew the comic, Nanette McGuinness translated it from French to English, but Tamaki “adapted” it – what does that mean? Or is it just a bullshit title because Tamaki’s more well-known than Maurel, kinda like Steven Spielberg being credited as an “Executive Producer” on Transformers because he’s a famous name even though I guarantee Spielberg doesn’t give a shit about CGI robots and spent no time on the set of that movie!
Luisa: Now and Then isn’t a bad read – Maurel can write fairly well and the art is high quality - but it’s a far from gripping one that doesn’t leave much of an impression. Of course I agree with being tolerant towards all sexualities but it’s not something that I haven’t heard before. And the sentimental ending jammed in at the last minute rang very false. If you want to read a much more memorable and compelling comic about lesbians I’d rec Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home instead.
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