Publisher: Oni
by Brian MacLachlan & Thomas Williams.
Highly inventive, slightly more exasperated WHY I HATE SATURN, in which Seth's patience with office politics and Nozomi's patience as a music retail assistant are separately tested to breaking point:
"Excuse me, do you work here?"
"Yes."
"Where can I find Banamarama?"
"Try looking in pop rock, under "B"."
"Yeah, but where is "B"?"
"The CDs are in alphabetical order."
"What?"
"I said, "The CDs are in alphabetical order"."
"What's that?"
"You know, like ABCDEF..."
"Yayaya, I know what letters are."
"Huh?"
"So what's this alphabetical order thing?"
"It's the order letters come in."
"Well, in Banamarama, B comes first."
"Nonono, like the alphabet song."
"No. I don't think they do that song."
"No, it's a song to help you remember the alphabet."
"Huh?"
"You know: "A, B,C,D,E,F,G...""
"That's a pretty lame song."
"It's for kids."
"Do I look like a kid? I like real music: "I'm your Venus, I'm your fire...""
"Here, I'll write the alphabetical order down for you."
"[Reading ABCDEF...] How the hell are you supposed to pronounce this?"
"You don't. It's just the order that you're supposed to remember them in."
"It doesn't seem very easy to remember. I think you're making this up. Write it down again."
"Okay."
"Hmmm. They do match. Maybe you aren't making this up."
"I couldn't make this up if I tried."
The exchange is preceded by "[Talks like he hasn't swallowed peanut butter properly]". And he looks like a drooling, horned ogre. Everyone in this book is wearing their insides out, since the creators' approach to representation isn't literal, so you see characters looking like cats, demons and dolls, and in one instance, one office worker who is literally in possession of two faces, that being the sort of guy he is. Almost every exchange is a joke of sorts ("The idea that it's shallow to like a girl just for her looks is a conspiracy baked up by smart, ugly women" - see? - WHY I HATE SATURN), which isn't particularly realistic, but makes for great entertainment as people discuss ethics, relationships, business product placement, the proliferation of corporate logos and the ways in which we lose our time. Advertising in particular sends Seth on a one-man campaign of art terrorism and anti-corporate bubble-bursting. The only thing that would slightly mar it for me is the occasional gratuitous insult to friendly people, but again, that's life, and who amongst us has not immediately regretted making the occasional, wholly undeserved snide comment? So, recommended to those who work in big offices, record stores, or indeed any sort of retail environment. And everyone else as well.
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