Broken Frontier

J. Torres returns with the next volume of Love As Foreign Language, the first volume of which was one of the best reads of last year.

When we last left Joel, he was wrestling with the decision of whether or not to leave his teaching job in Korea to return home in the United States. He was also hopelessly in love with Hana, a new secretary at his school. While he shyness compounds that situation, his boss compounds the initial problem by demanding that Joel make a decision.

As graphic novels have become more and more prevalent from Oni Press, J. Torres has established himself as one of, if not the, best writer affiliated with that publisher. This effort, while it could have been better, served to fortify that status. Just as in the first volume, Torres' plot progresses rather slowly. That slow pacing becomes slightly annoying in this book, but it still works more often than not. After an opening dream sequence that gently returns the reader to the story, Torres begins with a fascinating narration.  The bulk of the story, then, consists of Joel's obsessive love for Hana, which Torres displays expertly. Anyone who has ever felt such emotions will immediately recognize the signs.

Torres makes it very clear in this volume that this series is a romantic comedy. The romance, while charming, is fairly simple. Torres, then, uses humor to support the story. Mind you, Torres is not going to leave you in hysterics, but his gentle humor will leave a smile on your face. The final piece to this story is the character work. As always, Torres excels in that aspect. Every character has a distinct and interesting personality which makes for interesting conversations. Even with the small problems in this script, Torres has turned in another charming book.

Newcomer Eric Kim proved his artistic talent with the first book in this series. Here, he shows that he can do such impressive work on a consistent basis. His blend of manga and traditional art styles works perfectly for this book. Every facial expression seems to be just the one that Torres' script calls for. Every pencil stroke seems like it was perfectly placed. Kim has shown that he can match just about anyone artistically. Keep a look out for any future projects with his name attached.

J. Torres and Eric Kim have another winner on their hands for Oni Press. Although this book lacks the strength of the first, it is still an absolutely charming book. Love As A Foreign Language is a series that is well worth your money.

- Eliot Johnson