Local

Local by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly consists of issues 1 through 12 of Local.

Local is a comic book that was conceived to be about different cities. It would consist of 12 standalone stories set in different cities around North America. However, as the series progressed and the creators started liking their protagonist more and more, the book became more than just its premise and it was about the life of Megan.

For me, the overall story about Megan wasn't as good as the standalone stories. To me, the impact of the book came through the great short stories. My favorite is the one based in Richmond. It is about a band that just separated and the comic tells the story by using an interview in the background. I think the creators did a fantastic job of making me feel like I knew these people and their music in only 24 pages.

There are other great stories in the book, in fact most issues are great (there was only one short story that I didn't like). One problem that some readers may have is that most stories are a bit depressing. The stories are slice of life stories, hence there is not really a plot and they depend on the great character development that the creators do. Therefore, since one is very attached to Megan and the city she lives in, it is a bit sad to see her have to leave yet another city.

I was really happy when I would recognize the city that Megan was in, such as when she was in Burlington. Even though I have been to most cities covered in the book, the only one I could recognize was Burlington, as the image is from downtown, unlike other issues where the action doesn't necessarily happen downtown.

A really good book with great extras too. I recommend it.