How to Date a Girl in 10 Days [or so]

Posted: Tuesday, April 3, 2007
By: Steve Saville

Cover of How to Date a Girl in 10 Days [or so] Creator(s): Tom Humberstone
Publishers: Vented Spleen
From: com
Price: £2.50

A journey into the complex world of twenty something dating. Having just finished reading the first edition of ‘How to Date a Girl in 10 Days [or so]’ how glad I am that I have left that world a long, long way behind me, as it so obviously still a traumatic and humiliating place to be.

What ‘How to Date a Girl in 10 Days [or so]’ offers us is a detailed insight into the life of Tom as he wrestles with dating, kissing and basically just interacting with members of the opposite sex.

Our Tom is hardly the most confident of lads either. He feels the futility of working in a comic shop and lacks self confidence; I mean his friends bully him into contacting someone he just met in a pub and then proceed to choose what he should wear if a date does eventuate.

This British comic uses extensive cross hatching to successfully create a grey overcast oppressive mood that is entirely appropriate for the physical setting [urban England] but even more appropriate in conveying Tom’s mental state.

This is an adult comic in that it deals with adult frailties but not in that it deals with X rated material, in fact Tom seems to be a long way from that, he goes through intense trauma just trying to decide whether to risk a kiss. When he does the pain continues as he wonders whether he is a poor kisser or not.

It would be easy to say, ‘get over it Tom,’ but that would be unfair on what is a totally believable and realistic comic. Yes I felt uncomfortable reading it but only because it bought back memories. Humberstone has captured how oh so many guys feel and aren’t we a sorry lot.

The comic itself is made up of a series of chapters, most operate as stand alones but of course they are all connected and form a chronological storyline. Naturally there is a high number of close ups used after all we are more concerned with the emotions rather than the setting here.

It kicks off in the smoky slightly grungy pub setting and that opening scene sets the scene for the rest of the comic. Tom himself is a dishevelled, lost looking soul and the world he inhabits equally down beat.

Ultimately all his angst amounts to nothing though and the comic ends with a somewhat depressing conversation between Tom and a friend. I know a second edition is out I can only hope that Tom’s love life improves because it can’t get any worse. Any young guys out there who are feeling a little down about their Romeo factor grab this comic it will make you feel better about yourself.

In a Word: Agonising.



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