 | | Cry Yourself To Sleep
Jeremy Tinder |
The world of graphic novels is a huge and diverse place. You can find anything from on-going superhero epics, to short, personal stories about everyday life. Some are fantasy, some are a slice of realism. Some are for the super nerds and some are hipster and some are for your average everyday reader. There is always something out there to discover that will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, or grab your imagination. Jeremy Tinder has managed to wrap all three into one on this short little story titled Cry Yourself To Sleep.
In this, his debut book Tinder follows three unfortunate souls through a few days in their life. Jim the rabbit is first fired from his minimum wage food service job for getting too many complaints about hair in the food. Jim tries to plead his case that he doesn't wear the gloves provided... well, because he is a rabbit and doesn't have thumbs. The slightly higher than minimum wage manager still has no choice but to fire him.
Then we meet Jim's roommate Andy. Andy works at the local video rental store, but he has bigger dreams (as, I think, EVERY video store clerk does). See, Andy is going to be a novelist some day. In fact, he has a manuscript out to a publisher that he is dying to hear back from. Andy gets a rejection letter this same fateful day.
And then the person to complete this trifecta of sorrow isn't really a person at all. The Robot just wants to be free. Free from his mechanical mind, his cold and unfeeling soul. In is search, The Robot follows a random bird around in search of a freer life. He struggles to understand the birds routines and lifestyle while still envying his freedom.
The three fellows cross paths more than a few times, but no one ever really discusses his problems or feelings with his pals. More just a passing "hey" and "see ya later". It's not until the end of the book (and another unfortunate incident) that the three are actually brought together in one place, and despite their given predicaments, together they seem happy.
Tinder avoids the trappings of being heavy handed with this book. It's not overly serious, nor is it full of slap-schtick jokes and pranks. Cry Yourself To Sleep is a nice balance of comedy and melodrama. And all in all, it's a pretty damn near spot on story about guys in their early twenties (at least, that's what I imagine them to be). Full of sorrow and angst at the things they haven't yet accomplished, but when brought together with their friends, everything seems to slip away.
It's a great book, and a great start to Tinder's career. It's nothing mind-blowing or life changing, but it's a solid little book that will have me waiting for the next release with Tinder's name on it.
- Jake Haselman | 2006-05-18
