Broken Frontier

Riley is a quiet and shy girl. When she heads off to college, she not only discovers a group of close friends, but a sister that she can barely remember. What will a internet relationship mean to her new found life?

Brian Wood has found a way to get inside the American woman’s head. It’s actually quite obvious and shouldn’t have been so illusive to writers over the past twenty years. Well, male writers anyhow. So what is this secret that was staring us right in front of our faces?

The American woman, now more than at anytime in the history of our country is concerned with their image. Their identity is what defines them. Whether they be fat or thin, beautiful or plain, popular or smart. That identity is what all women boil down to.

This concern with the lead character’s identity and the identities of the other three making up the eponymous group is clearly at display in their sessions with the therapist assigned with keeping an eye on the girls as they take college prep tests. As in Local, Wood takes a very close look at a young woman who is in crisis with her identity. Riley is unsure of herself. Shy and smart, she is not sure what to make of other people. It is clear that she has never had an intimate relationship. We know this from clues in the script from the plight of her sister to the ever prying eyes of her protective parents.

When she starts her freshmen year of school, she is liberated from her inner shell as a group of girls take her in. This new boldness leads to a text message relationship with a mysterious boy known to her as only "sneakerfreak". What happens with this relationship threatens to tear down everything that Riley has come to hold dear.

You have to wonder how much of Wood is at display in his books. From the ever hiding Megan in Local to the naivete of Matty in DMZ to the reluctance of Sven in Northlanders, the common thread is a social awkwardness. Sven and Matty have to be tough because they are the male hero of their story, and while Megan and Riley are just as tough, they are more likely to wear their emotions on their sleeve. Having met Brian, he is a nice guy. However, it is easy to understand how this quiet and lanky guy may have had a hard time standing out in the crowd. Does he turn inward as easily as his characters or is it an understanding of the human psyche that has come through keen observation of those around him?

The best writers will tell you to write what you know. I think Wood is writing semi-autobiographical stories in his best work, because the way I see it from Demo to this work, he has been meditating on the meaning and ramifications of identity. That common thread running through an entire body of work is what sets apart the great writers. From the machismo of Hemingway to the penchant for the darker side of humanity seen in the writing of Palahnuick to the neuroticism of Woody Allen, you can distill their entire body of work to a simple theme. Their ability to take that theme and create wildly different stories and characters from it is what makes them special.

Ryan Kelly is going to be a star. The influence of the artists he has worked with, from Becky Cloonan to Cameron Stewart, is unmistakable. In fact, they almost make up a movement by themselves. With Local , Kelly showed us his diversity as the lines changed with setting, time, and emotion. Here, he gets to play a similar game, but instead of showing us an aging character at wildly different points of her life, we get to watch Riley grow in one year. The lines in her face at the end aren’t from lack of sleep or age, they are from a profound emotional development that helps her "grow up" and realize her own need to be comfortable with herself. It is a different nuance to the work and one that is noticeable and appreciated.

The comparisons to Local will hound this book. The similarities in thematic elements and the style of art coupled with the same creative team make that inevitable. In the end, what matters is that New York Four ably differentiates itself from a great work that casts a long shadow. It was a brave move for them to publish this work so soon after the other finished. Financially, it makes plenty of sense, strike while the iron is hot; but artistically, it is a risky move. In some ways, Riley seems like a variation on Megan; but in the end, her flaws and the way she matures are uniquely her own while still being a piece of the puzzle that is Brian Wood. Here’s hoping that this is the beginning of one of those creative partnerships that not only lasts forever, but also produces a plethora of tasty fruit.