A Pinoy Blog About Nothing

Paul Moves Out
by Michel Rabagliati
Drawn & Quarterly

You’ll always hear that comics aren’t for kids anymore from people who love the medium. What more, comics aren’t just about superheroes. Comics can be as diverse as the fiction novel or magazine section of your local bookstore. In the latest installment of a series of graphic novels, Michel Rabagliati sees Paul in a new adventure. Paul isn’t a monologuing, muscular, spandex-clad superhero - he’s an art school graduate trying to make a life and a living with girlfriend Lucie.

In the same vein as Craig Thompson’s Blankets, Mr. Rabagliati explores the highs and lows of Paul’s life. Anyone who’s been in a meaningful relationship or lost a favorite family member will certainly be able to relate to Rabagliati’s exploration of Paul’s life. There are no outer space aliens, shadowy conspiracies, mobsters, undead monsters or even your best-friend turned villain in this story. It’s Paul vs The Apartment Which Needs Renovation or Paul vs The Baby Sitting Favor. This one’s got it.

“So what’s the big deal?” you might say. “I’ve got my own problems as mundane as that Paul fellow. Hell, I even have a blog.” The main difference of course is not so much as the message but how Rabagliati presents it to draw the reader in, to make Paul and Lucie as sympathetic as possible. Everyone’s has had that classmate which one can’t forget or a teacher which made a big impact on one’s life. Rabagliati handles these seemingly commonplace episodes in Paul’s life not with overly-sentimental nostalgia but with a measured degree of fondness. We are led to believe that these aren’t just the “supporting characters” in Paul and Lucie’s life but are based on real people who can be both good but annoying.

There were several episodes in the book which I could say I could definitely relate to the characters. Both characters find common ground on Tintin and Asterix comics - the former being a part of my childhood reading and the latter a part of Petite’s. There’s one in which Paul and Lucie go to a avant-garde theater and ended up the only ones not being to “get it”. My Future Wife and I got invited to this big exhibit which, frankly, had us scratching our heads when we left. We had a good laugh out of it though.

But make no mistake it’s not just for comic and art geeks. Paul Moves Out offers a story of someone finding the legs to make it on his own in his life, away from the comfort of parents, friends and teachers. I think everyone experiences that at one point or another in their lives.