Andy Oliver reviewed Fizzle #1-3 on this site in the halcyon pre-pandemic days. Today we revisit the long-running Whit Taylor series with its latest issue being published earlier this year by Florida-based Radiator Comics.
One unusual aspect of the overall Fizzle series is that each issue continues directly into the next, allowing Taylor to build a remarkably complex story. The first page of Fizzle #4 uses the visual effect of a letter to link to the events of the previous issue and foreshadow future events, as well. Claire is the main character of the series and Taylor digs deep into her story this issue using seven pages to explore her fading relationship with aimless musician Andy. The body language as the two grow closer and pull away from each other is subdued and effective. Taylor experiments with varying styles of sequential narrative, as well. Three consecutive scenes early in issue #4 stand out: The first scene is carried through Claire’s facial expressions as we only hear her side of a phone conversation with her mother as she receives good news. Then a remarkable flashback sequence as Claire is forgotten at school by her father yet she sneaks out of her mother’s to watch her favorite TV show at her father’s apartment in a suitably ridiculous imaginary TV show sequence. Finally a change in Claire’s focus is shown in a scene at a farmer’s market with a wonderfully natural conversation between Claire and best friend Taryn which sets up events in the next issue (and, presumably, beyond).
Issue #5 follows the events concluding the previous issue as Claire’s newfound interest in frozen fruit pops (which are a continuing plot thread throughout the series, see the covers) brings her together with coworker Jaime on a road trip to an urban garden tended by his abuela. Nothing is obvious in Fizzle, however, as Taylor continues to push the limits of her narrative structure. Here she alternates scenes of an early camping trip where, presumably, Claire and Andy fell in love, with the easygoing, yet awkward afternoon spent with coworker Jaime. Then the fantasy sequence showing (but not stating outright) Claire’s conflicting feelings for Andy and Jaime through the lens of “Earth Angel”, a humorous interpretation of a Bachelor-type reality show with a young woman being courted by anthropomorphic planets.
A difficult sensation to convey in comics is listening to music, owing to the silent and static images of comics. Circumventing these obstacles in a scene from Fizzle #5, Taylor literally weaves song lyrics around Claire in three panels echoing her mood and also another panel with lyrics echoing her thoughts as they pass the Watts Towers landmark. This is a non-invasive, clever technique for something that usually doesn’t translate well to the comics medium.
Whit Taylor works on a nine-panel grid mostly, switching to a six-panel grid occasionally, in a 40-50 page mini-comic this gives her a larger narrative space to work with allowing her to bring more depth to her work than the usual slice-of-life fare. Taylor’s art could be put in the ligne claire school of art as it’s free of any extraneous line work, but her style owes more to a John Porcellino (King-Cat Comics & Stories). Where the stripped-down art is more akin to handwriting, as it’s such a personal expression of the artist.
Fizzle #4 and #5 show Whit Taylor building her long term magnum opus on tightly focused scenes and subtle character cues from the first issue eight years ago to these latest welcome efforts.
Whit Taylor (W/A) • Radiator Comics, $8.00 each
Buy Fizzle 4 and Fizzle 5 online from Radiator Comics
Review by Gary Usher
