CHEAT

Norrie explores the subject of marital tension and adultery through two couples. Protagonist Janey and her husband, Marc, are travel writers. Marc is always jetting off to exotic locales to research their next book, while Janey stays home to run the business and turn Marc's notes into books. When they move next door to Anna and Davis, another cute yuppie couple, Janey's lonely nights and resentment of Marc's distant attitude push her in flirty Davis's direction. Of course, Janey and Davis eventually give in to infidelity for a night, leading to disaster when both couples go on a long-planned vacation to the Caribbean. Norrie's story and art are a modern-day version of classic romance comics, especially the b&w illustrations which show the attractive characters in almost pin-up–like poses as they pour their hearts out on the page. But her depiction of the mundane squabbles and power struggles that make up many marriages is dead on (e.g., Marc feels left out when everyone orders pizza while he's out returning a moving van), and the characters seem like regular people in a real situation. Unfortunately, for all its keen observation, this slender volume is barely getting going when it ends—the denouement is horribly rushed, and the ending is abrupt and unsatisfactory. Nonetheless, Norrie is a natural storyteller, and the subject of adultery is a welcome change in the hyper-fantastic world of graphic novels. (Feb.)