It's been four years since Robinson's Box Office Poison
won an Eisner Award, as well as the prize for best debut graphic novel at the international festival in Angoulême. It's been a long wait, but Tricked
is well worth it. This dense graphic novel follows the paths of six characters who weave around one another, all finally meeting in the story's violent climax. The six are Ray Beam, a blocked and exhausted rock star; Nick, a small-time grifter; Phoebe, a daughter in search of her father; Steve, the very worst kind of music fan; Lily, a young girl drawn into Ray's artistic drama; and Caprice, a self-defeating waitress. Before the final meeting, each leads a fully realized life, whose detailed individuality and complex relationships mark Robinson as a truly gifted writer. His art is no less impressive, with clear line drawings that hone in on the subtleties of his characters' emotional lives. A master of the slice-of-life indie comic genre, Robinson brings a strong dramatic force to his work as well. Robinson's talent allows his characters to be comprehensible even when they act like spoiled jerks or sabotage their own chances for happiness—but his authorial generosity returns them all to their own best selves by the end. (Aug.)
