Welcome To Lost Angeles

Welcome To Lost Angeles

Bliss On Tap Publishing 2021

Created & Written by Jordan Lichtman

Illustrated by Kelsi Jo Silva

Additional Art & Design by Mike Bleiweiss

Lettered by Alex Murillo

Volume 1 begins with the shocking and senseless assault of a privileged suburban teen, as Lost Angeles follows local punk bouncer ‘Doyle’ as he investigates the crime on behalf of a grieving family and ultimately exposes a complex multi-billion-dollar real estate investment scheme tied to the 1984 Olympics whose greedy tentacles reach deep into City Hall. A vivid and unquestionably authentic portrayal of LA’s vibrant and violent 1980s, Lost Angeles brings to life the punk music, gangs and corrupt officials and, in doing so, echoes themes of race and politics very much alive and unresolved in 2021.

This is one of those rare books that depicts life as it was and it does so in a powerfully and poignant way. The way that this is set up and is told is a hugely impressive story driven story and it doesn’t rely upon gimmicks or tricks or even the need to make up the villain as it were because they are real people and they do despicable things that has been prevalent in local government since its creation. It is such a great story full of despair, tragedy and even hope what with the Olympics just on the horizon.

I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances that they encounter really does a sensational job in fleshing them out as people we recognise. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the page revealing the twists & turns along the way with more and more of the story we’re drawn into this world that many of us only saw on the news.

I rather like how this is being structured and how the layers within the story emerge, evolve and strengthen. This is where we see the bulk of the characterisation and bits and pieces that flesh out the city. These bits work with and surrounding the main arc and they add this wonderful depth and complexity to the story on their own as well as strengthening the main arc. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved magnificently.

The interiors here aren’t what I was expecting and that’s a good thing for this story. It details parts of the city and the era but the style we see through the linework with its varying weights and techniques create some lovely detail work. I will say that Fletcher should’ve at least had those pants around his ankles. Regardless the way we see the characters is utterly delightful. How the backgrounds are utilised to create the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is marvellous. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The colour work we see as well. How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is sensationally rendered. Looking down on those trees, seeing the graffiti on the buildings and how the clothing looks is just utterly brilliant.

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Big, thick and full of story this book is well worth having in your collection, library or whatnot. It is a slice of history in all its ugly glory and shows the world as it is without those rose coloured glasses. It has its own unique charm and charisma not to mention verve and gravitas to it that is so spectacularly laid down for the reader to really sink their teeth into. This really is such a brilliantly told story and it hits the reader in the feels in a way that will be unique to each individual reader. This is a must have book folks so have it ordered and you’ll thank me for it later.