Review: Ordinary
Ordinary starts off in a dream sequence with Michael on a date with Scarlett Johannson. Michael is aware this is a dream and asks for Ms. Johannson to have sex with him. She turns him down on the basis they have known each other for such a short period of time so she just wants to get to know him better.
He agrees and then wakes up.
After being yelled at on the phone by his partner, Brian, he heads out the door to a ordinary neighborhood in Queens NY. Michael is harassed about some money he owes then catches the bus to the job site.
After a lecture from Brian, Michael speaks with the client, Mrs. Grayson; the rest of the day goes to shit real quick.
Mrs. Grayson gets younger and keeps on until she is a stain on the floor. Brian is now an American Black Bear. Michael runs out into the street and almost gets stepped on.
After almost getting killed by the chaos on the street, Michael does what anyone in his frame of mind would do… goes to the bar.
Upon noticing that there is a fire in the general area where his son goes to school; Michael tries to call his wife. No luck with a cell signal because, of course, there is no service. Determined to make sure his son is safe; he starts heading toward the school.
Meanwhile; the President gives a speech in an effort to calm the people. POTUS has an off panel meltdown and the VP takes over as the Commander in Chief and the hand of God.
Dr. Tara McDonald is trying to find a cure for this strange pandemic. For a cure Dr. McDonald needs to find at least one human who has not been infected.
I have to say that this is not the type of comic book I would normally consider. Once I saw the cover and read the acclaim from other comic professionals, I fully expected to love this book. However, it felt like the story was rushed so they could throw in the artwork illustrating the odd abilities and strange appearances of the background. The ending was a little too quick and neat.
I really felt nothing for the main character of Michael. No sympathy, but no detest. He was just.. meh. No connection for me. Perhaps that is what Rob Williams was going for, to mesh out a less than ordinary loser who is supposed to fill a purpose.
There is some humor in the story, but mostly in the artwork. D’Isreali’s artwork reminds me, in some areas, of a milder Robert Crumb. My favorite part of this whole book came at the end in the form of the “Science behind the story.”