Jeez. You’d think we were near February 14th and not entering the month of October. I mean: Cupid, Ovid, boys, girls, men, women. Love. Yeah. Love. Love in the time of Halloween.
That’s the market timing Image Comics is hitting with the release of Lovestruck, an original hardcover graphic novel by writer Dennis Hopeless and artist Kevin Mellon.
Lovestruck
Written by: Dennis Hopeless
Illustrated by: Kevin Mellon
Image Comics
So, what’s Lovestruck about? Well, I can tell you that it’s not your usual middling teen beat romance. In fact, it’s downright different than anything else I’ve come across in some time.
Lovestruck is the tale of Cupid’s capitalistic manipulations of love in our modern lives. He’s no cute-‘n’-cuddly, winged cherub either. This cupid has apparently been mighty successful in his business endeavours and looks every bit the global conglomerate he is: fat and conniving and probably hustling governments for free, taxpayer’s money. Love is a billion dollar industry and Cupid is its megalomaniacle CEO. Love doesn’t happen by chance. Love only happens if Cupid sees some green in it. And main character Kali Monroe gets paid very well to break hearts.
Hopeless looks to have crafted an intriguing tale that weaves myth and human emotion with big business. Counting in at a mammoth 192 pages (and selling for just $17), Lovestruck puts the emphasis on the word “novel” when we’re talking about graphic novels. But great graphics are here too! Mellon’s deft black and white line work is both confident and emotive, giving the reader a solid visual platform in which to experience the whole of the book.
We know that love is an intense business. Just try to get a reservation at a hot restaurant on Valentine’s Day and you’ll see that truth in action. What we’re not necessarily aware of, and what Lovestruck illuminates, is just how intense the business of love really is, in all of its machinations.
With a tag line that reads “Love is all around us. These are the pricks who control it” – well, I, for one, just need to know. Maybe publishing Lovestruck so close to Halloween was a smart move after all. It sounds more horrifying than anything resembling romantic.
So, make the Wednesday run this week and pick up Lovestruck. We can both know together.
How romantic is that?
