Broken Frontier

The last couple of storylines from the successful comedy comic Least I Could Do have struck me as a bit insubstantial. While it may not stand toe-to-toe in your literature class, Least I Could Do has always struck me as one of the smarter-written webcomics. Despite my feelings for some of its most recent storylines, I don’t feel the quality of the writing has declined as much as the impact of the storylines.

Here’s a recap: around Christmas time, main character Rayne’s holiday gift came in the form of a work trip to a porno shoot. The storyline itself was the source of a huge amount of hilarity, but Rayne and company seemed mostly relegated to observing roles instead of active ones, with one or two exceptions, cutting down on the humor considerably.

The next full storyline was one of the weirdest sexual harassment stories ever, as Rayne’s pretty secretary walked in on her boss in the bathroom. Rayne then files a complaint that his "instrument of indescribable ecstasy" has not been complimented. Though Rayne’s boss has some priceless reactions to the situation, the whole thing plays out for laughs too quickly. It is ultimately revealed Rayne’s secretary is having problems at home which Rayne overhears and decides to remedy through this well-placed practical joke. The problem is there’s no real moment where the whole thing is revealed to indeed be a practical joke. One moment Rayne is walking around the office with his pants down and next his secretary is walking away laughing. The story had a good plotline, a good intention, and even a somewhat decent execution (despite the content) – it was just far too short.

This brings us to the adventures of kid Rayne, circa 1990 on the first day of school. He’s paired with new friend John, who often plays the role of Rayne’s foil, and shows no signs of stopping here. Though there have only been four strips, the storyline’s been running pretty well so far. Rayne’s older brother Eric shows up in a recent strip – with hair. I have a feeling the story of how Eric looses his much-prized hair is an interesting story... so long as it doesn’t involve Kryptonite.

I’m also curious to see if other stables from Least I Could Do turn up in the childhood storyline including Mick, Issa and Noel. The story seems mostly centered on John and Rayne’s relationship though. During another storyline, Rayne saves several drivers at the scene of an icy automobile accident, while John watches terrified from the passenger seat of Rayne’s car. Rayne later remarked to Issa in a surprisingly candid tone “John wasn’t there. He’s never there.”   

John started out as one of the key characters of Least I Could Do, but was eventually pushed to the sidelines by characters like Noel and Mick, who seem to have a deeper rapport with Rayne. I always assumed this was due to the difference of attitudes between sensible John and satirical Rayne, but now I’m wondering if there isn’t something more serious looming at the center of this fractured relationship

The best part of Least I Could Do is this webcomic isn’t afraid to take a hard look at itself and its character. This is by no means a requiem for every good storyline, but there seems to be cause enough for it here in the kid Rayne storyline. Was his friendship with John souring from the get-go? Only time will tell, but I hope creator Ryan Sohmer has a good explanation for it – and Eric’s hair loss.

And again, it better not be kryptonite!