Fingerprints

Dinski's story of plastic surgeons in a culture where image is all important aims to be provocative, but ends up not as substantial as it could be. Dr. Fingers is an accomplished cosmetic surgeon whose most prized client is Hollywood superstar actress Vanessa Zimba. Fingers is so proud of Vanessa's appearance that he both imitates her features in other clients and constantly seeks to find new ways to perfect Vanessa's face. This causes constant distress for Fingers's wife, Jennifer, herself resembling an aging version of Vanessa. It's also a source of inspiration and jealousy for Fingers's assistant, Yumiko Tatsu, who finds herself performing most of the actual surgery and soon leaves to start her own practice. When he sees his assistant's work take popular culture by storm, Dr. Fingers finds himself suffering at the expense of his long-held belief that people are defined by their appearances. Dinski provides both art and writing, and the basic visuals further hit home his point of how worrying too much about how people look can lead to all people looking the same. (Sept.)