Wet Moon: book 2, Unseen Feet and book 3, Further Realms of Fright

As I'd read on Ross' homepage (www.greenoblivion.com) that he'd got some responses from readers complaining about Cleo's eyes, I expected something to happen to them, however, I did not expect her to turn into fucking Betty Boop!

Cleo's new eyes are, alas, only part of a general slide in quality in Wet Moon's appearance that began back in Unseen Feet. The first thing you notice is the slow alteration of the characters. Not only do their hair and style change (which only comes natural), but the way Ross Campbell begins drawing them alters the readers' perception of the characters. This is most noticable in the way he draws Audrey, who gains like 30 pounds from Feeble Wanderings to Unseen Feet. Moreover, her face widens and her eyes become almond-shaped. This simply changes Audrey's whole character. This is bad, since you feel that you loose touch with the characters. Who are they?

Mara's face becomes more fleshy and saggy and she looses the pupils that made her eyes so penetrating as well as her black no 1 lipstick. She looses character. Becomes blurred.

Even Cleo's transformation begins in Unseen Feet, she becomes more cartoony although she still qualifies as human. Still, it is quite a jump although a subtle one. When I'd finished reading Unseen Feet I grabbed Feeble Wanderings and paced through it and almost fell down the chair (out of the couch that is, actually). Cleo is so realistic! So plausible!

The giant leap, however, is between Unseen Feet and Further Realms of Fright. And I'm not thinking about the way Campbell does Cleo's eyes. His whole style changes. It becomes sloppy, fast, sketchy (or just bored?). I'd like to think that Campbell wanted to tell a lot and wanted book 3 done, hopefully a deadline did not instigate this comic book terror.

Campbell still does a great job, though, and his study of humans is still very pleasing, however, when you know what he did in Feeble Wanderings, what he is actually capable of, what mountains he can actually scale, it is dispiriting to see this mess. Was it not for his mastery of anatomy (and the way he does goth girls), you'd think you picked up a free comic art magazine.

Sure, artists develop. There is also quite a jump from the first Cleo short story (the one printed in the back of Feeble Wanderings) and book 1. Maybe Campbell is looking for more artistic freedom. But experiments should be kept on the drawing board. When you buy a result, you expect a result, not a process. The world could have been spared a lot of modernistic poetry on that account.

Not only does Campbell Betty Boop Cleo, he also looses touch with Trilby (*sigh*) whose head shape becomes slightly alien at times, her eyes change too, as do her teeth. Audrey gains 30 pounds more and is now a bag of flesh with only a slight resemblence of something once human. Mara turns even less Mara and Penny, who was very clear-cut in book 1, also looses her distinct appearance although Campbell seemingly remains persistent in the new way he does her.

That being said Wet Moon retains it slice-of-life-ishness that makes it so damn compelling, it is as addictive as watching Friends or Buffy. From reading people's responses on [link] I understand that some resent the slow progression of the story and the everyday conversations (I'm still blown away by the all-dialogue driven story). That, however, is what I love about Wet Moon. Campbell's true gift, I think, is his ability to make the seemingly trivial significant. And that explains humans better than any essay ever could. And that is what to me makes Wet Moon a piece of art.

For instance, Cleo's feelings about Vincent actually taught me why my ex-girlfriend behaves towards me the way she does. She loves me and therefore avoids me as she's afraid to see me. Possessing an obsessive nature I couldn't understand why. - Until I read Unseen Feet, that is. When I'm in love - even if it's the bad kind - I have to see the object of my desire. No matter what the costs. The thought of avoiding the only thing that can save you from doom seemed foreign to me.

Moreover, Wet Moon is still eerie. Not much, it is just hinted at, but that is the art of storytelling: it keeps me coming back for more. I'm thirsting for reading more about Myrtle's jalousy, Vincent, the Vincent-Thing (the horror, the horror!), Fern, the FBI guy and all those other small Lynchian story elements that makes Wet Moon so damn lovable. And nice to see some further depth to Cleo's character. There's definitely more to her than the shy goth of Feeble Wanderings.

But please, Mr. Campbell, no more experimentation. Having read Feeble Wanderings we know what you can actually do. Now give it to us.*

*having now read Ross Campbell's explanation for the style change I understand his reasons for doing so, especially when it involves a wrecked drawing arm.