Curse of the Werewoman
So Jason Burns hinted at this book during our talk at NYCC and honestly from the title alone, I had no idea what to expect. I've been reading Jay's books since the Expendable One and it's always a constant pleasure to see his work evolve and that's just what happened with Curse of the Werewoman.
We follow Patrick Dalton who right away refers to himself as an alpha male. He tries to play off the fact that he's not a player in any sense of the word. We learn how well he can pick up a woman and the steps he takes to sleep with them, which is exactly what leads him into his weird predicament in the first place.
Before we get into that, something has to be said about just how much Jay is able to put in a supporting cast. There's Amber, the cute love interest who moves into Patrick's life very expectantly. Tessa, who he refers to as the scary goth chick. There's also Andy, his best friend who's marriage seems to be very problematic. These characters are all played like normal believable people with every day real problems. It's definitely one of the reasons the book is so charming in the first place.
Patrick soon finds himself in very hot water as he attempts to leave Tessa's house after sleeping with her. Quickly, we find out our scary goth chick knows a little witchcraft. This is where things take a turn for the weird as, when the full moon hits, Pat stands as the opposite sex in a move very reminiscent of some of the late 90's dark comedies. The transformation hits on every mark and is probably one of the more amusing things that happens in the book. Especially the reaction of the poor attendant working in the restroom.
Of course our man Patrick takes this challenge into new areas as he's faced with his new humorous double life as the female version of himself, Patricia who starts a budding friendship with Amber from across the way. This was another highlight of the book as the two really got to know a lot about each other as they go shopping, watch movies and just really spend time together. It's interesting to see Pat evolve in the relationship.
Meanwhile, he struggles at work with the possible promotion that he doesn't fully deserve as his boss openly admits to him. He struggles to help his best friend get his life together as the twists in his own marriage start breaking down and Patrick may or may not become a better man gaining the happy ending.
Honestly, this was a blast to read as it fits in moments of horror, comedy and humanity all tied into one little neat package. It never tries to smack a message into your face and keeps you guessing through the entire book. I was trying to explain it to someone the other day and thought of it this way... it's as if you mixed What Women Want with Idle hands and this is what you got. You have role reversal, healthy relationships and natural evolving plot points that bring the whole thing together. I's a highlight for any indie comic fans book shelves.
Published by Devils Due, I've been told the book will be out at stores on March 25th but you can easily ask your local comic shop to order you a copy and have it there when it hits booshelves everywhere.
Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching dvd's, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice. Eric shops at TJ's Collectibles. Visit them on the web at www.tjcollect.com!
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