One of the trickiest aspects of reviewing comics is trying to describe something when I come across a style that is completely new. Oh, woe is me, I know, I know. But Francine is one of those books where things didn’t really start clicking for me until I was maybe halfway through the book, and when it did all start coming together I was blown away. The style has some hints of Dave Kiersh and Katie Skelly, a little, but it’s all very clearly Michiel’s own thing. It’s easy to think that this is all entirely innocent, that those flashed panties here and there are accidental. Then you start seeing the weird dynamics between the various characters in the books and how it all seems to come back to sex and attraction, and it puts everything that’s come before in a different light. There’s 8 different sections here, with mostly the same characters and often similar themes throughout. I just flipped through the book again to try and come up with some way to tell you all about it, and if anything I’m more confused than before. The sheer number of hilarious asides, the deftness of the humor, might not hit you right away. This book has confidence but it’s still somehow awkward. deeply important while focused on the little things in life. I genuinely don’t know how to encapsulate it, and feel like it would be an insult to the artist to keep trying. It’s something that you really have to see for yourself. His website has all sorts of free samples, take a few minutes and read a handful of his strips. You’ll get it. $17.95
