The environment is one of the biggest hot topics in the world today. There are people who believe that climate change is real while others say it’s a hoax. Mary M. Talbot (writer) and Bryan Talbot (artist) tackle this topic in their comic “Rain†and, while their hearts are in the right place, the comic is a dud.
Cath visits her environmentalist girlfriend Mitch in the Yorkshire Mooreland as Mitch fights against environmentalist issues such as flooding, soil poisoning and mass killing of animals. Cath is not 100% on board with her girlfriend ideas and tries to see the entire picture.
While having a political message in a comic is fine, there is a way to not make it seem like it’s nothing but preaching. “Rain†does exactly that while also making the protagonists come off as villains. Mitch comes off as a bit too hardcore in her beliefs to the point where she downright snaps at Cath for using pesticide. The art even makes her look like someone you don’t want to associate with once she’s angry.
There are environmentalist terrorists in the comic, but the comic doesn’t do enough to show that these people are nothing like normal people who just want to buy organic food and try not to pollute too much.
Another drawback is the writing. It’s stilted to the point where these people don’t talk like actual people and instead talk like stereotypes.
The art is the only redeeming thing in the comic. There are full-color panels and then there are panels with only one-color scheme. You can see the passion and skill in each panel. The singe color panels are probably the best thing since they show off the rawest emotion than the full-color panels.
While “Rain†has some great art and the Talbot’s hearts are in the right, the story is a bit too preachy and lacks anything that makes a decent story. While caring for the environment is important, this comic is a bit too extreme for most people and is only preaching to the quire as is.
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