Daytripper #2!

Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, the creators of Vertigo's excellent new series Daytripper, in their On The Ledge column, in the first issue of Daytripper, talk about how each issue of this series is about different time periods in the life of their character, Bras de Olivia Domingos. So each of the ten issues of Daytripper will be self contained forming a bigger picture when it's done.

Having read Daytripper #2, I totally enjoyed / loved it on its own terms, but not really seeing what it may have to do with the first issue (which isn't important for one's enjoyment of this issue or seemingly of any of the issues). It wasn't until I re-read Moon and Ba's On The Ledge column and talked to my friend Rob about the issue that a hypothesis of what the bigger picture of Daytripper is started forming for me. All I'm going to say is that Moon and Ba saying that this book is about different periods in the life of their character Bras, isn't as clear cut as that statement seems on the surface. Additionally, Moon and Ba also describe each issue of Daytripper as a piece of a bigger puzzle so that should be kept in mind when reading this series, but even if you don't remember that while reading each individual issue, Daytripper isn't inaccessible at all, rather it's one of those rare comic books that gives you a complete story EVERY issue and will further reward those who think about the sum of all of the individual issues and how everything is connected.

Daytripper #2 is subtitled "21" and is about Bras, a friend of his, and a woman he meets on a visit to Salvador. Here's the opening passage from this issue which also works as a universal truth:

"And there he was, dreaming about the future. It looked liked bright and right and ready for him. And there was no scary mystery to it and it was right around the corner. Then Bras woke up and realized that, when you turn that corner, that future you have written and wished for is not always there waiting for you. In fact, it usually isn't at all what you expected... around the corner there is just another big annoying question mark. It's called life."

I couldn't be happier with Daytripper and if the next eight issues' quality is of the caliber of the first two (which I would bet is the likely scenario), this will be getting my highest recommendations month after month.