Meet Me in Saint Louie

What to do when you've just graduated college? Well, you get a life!
That is what Tighe, our main character, does by heading for Saint Louis with a few suitcases and not much more. The young man finds a job at the university, a flat to share with two charming girls playing in competing bands, and a whole new set of desires.

As important as Tighe's story is in that comic, it must be said that Tim Fish gives us a good cast of characters. Even the minor characters are well-defined, with a few lines of dialogue or good body language. It is obvious that all these twenty-somethings are full of hope for themselves, their lives are only beginning.
Tim Fish also manages to find fresh ways to show Tighe becoming aware of his desire for men. There's the poetic chapter in the trolley, the cute neighbor one watches fervently... all these are told without melodrama, and make Tighe's confusion very real for the reader.

The art is a curious blend of mainstream influences with indy sensibilities. One can see some John Byrne, some Steve Leialoha in the faces, and a lot of Walt Simonson everywhere. I mean, even the placement of the captions is reminiscent of Simonson's. And the good thing is that, even though Tim Fish's art retains the energy of these artists, it has none of the posturing inherent in most superhero comics.

Another difference with superhero comics is that there's no happy ending for Tighe. Acknowledging his desires is one thing, living up to them is another. That is the theme of the following book, The Cavalcade of Boys.