REVIEWS: Perfect Example – “In-Between Days”

The boredom of the in-between summer sees John and his friends going to a concert where Chuck Berry staggers onstage and off again without singing.  Loved the little "X" of an eye on one of the concertgoers (why are there no page numbers?) which is a standard comic book sign for "out of it" either by being hit on the head or from drinking as reinforced here by the cup in his hand. 

The male quandry of making the first move in a relationship is brought up as four girls walk by and Fred is the first to finally go after them and start a conversation.  Blah-blabs and ha ha’s are exchanged to indicate that a connection has been made.

An aside: the necessary music of the radio is often playing in the car or at home, indicated by a line or two of song lyrics and drawn notes.  The tendency to drive fast–or movement at all– is indicated by the burst of exhaust from the cars.   One of the guys runs into the girls the next day or so and they are all invited to one of the girls’ houses.  They stop and pee in the bushes on the way.  It’s a macho guy thing. They all go for a ride and John feels a connection with Stephanie, yet worries that she doesn’t like him, and worse, what if Kristi decides in the meantime to be his girlfriend?

A week or so goes by and John borrows his mom’s car to go see his friends–rather calm mama here for her son going out every night until four and five a.m.

John goes to this party and is surprised to see his friend Fred drinking beer (?) and realizes that they are each going their own way since they’d previously all agreed that "drinking was stupid." He wants to leave, runs into a girl named Lita that he know (indicated by dashes to from eyes to object) and unfortunately, Lita doesn’t make much of an impact as he takes off.  Somehow he’s transferred from his mom’s car to a skateboard…

Here he comes up with another profundity: he doesn’t feel he fits in with his friends , everything "seems transparent and sad’ — even as the detail within the panels of the road, houses, and blades of grass become more defined. 

Depressed, he goes back to the party and hides in his friend’s bedroom alone until Lita comes in and they make out until four a.m.  John is more confused than ever now.