Getting Back to Normal is a comic written by John Kratky and illustrated by Luigi Criscuolo. An unpredictable man with a bad memory attempts to solve a murder. This is a modern tale that is part mystery and part philosophical but all over the place. The main man for this story is Raccoon, an unhoused man known for his smell and being erratic; he also likes to talk to himself out loud. The story begins with we can assume is glimpse of Raccoon’s daily routine as he is bathing in a river. We’ll follow him back to Reno’s Tent City and from here he goes on a number of different trips. This story has a lot of introspection and philosophizing about one’s life and its place in the world. The action is physical with some blood but no gore. The pacing is steady to slightly faster-than-average as most of the dialogue is conversation but the subject matter might make lead to you focusing a bit more on what they’re saying. The tone can get serious when the moments get intense but it doesn’t really veer one way or the other for the most part. The language is all easily understandable as the concepts discussed can get deep but the words used are small. There aren’t really any word-heavy pages but the text bubbles can get thick. This is a graphic novel that focuses on a very active man who is trying to figure out himself and his place in the world.

            The black-and-white art here has a realistic aim and great shading. Most of this story takes place in the city with various buildings, alleys, lots, and random streets serving as the scenery. Some time is spent in the so you will see some actual nature. There isn’t a primary location as this comic moves around a bunch but you’ll visit a inn, food bank, ghost town, and more than a few other places. The backgrounds usually show some part of the scene but sometimes it is just a variation on a black or white screen. The expression level here is very high as the characters, Raccoon especially, use both face and body to get emotions across. The range of looks is all over the place from anger and rage to sadness and confusion. The faces are very well drawn with strong features so that even the subtle emotions aren’t hard to notice. The violence here is physical with some blood that you might not notice due to the lack of color. The action scenes vary in length and are strewn throughout the story with generally good flow.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like modern stories about introspection and life philosophy that star a man with memory issues and a lack of impulse control who is trying to solve a mystery then this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

R. Nudity, subject matter, drug use, violence.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“If yer gonna keep yammerin’ old man, do it someplace else.”

 

Digital Link: https://coffeetimecomix.gumroad.com/l/normal

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnkratky/getting-back-to-normal/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 97

Violent Pages: 8, for 8% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 3

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 3

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 2

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 3

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”