Michael Deforge is a Genius--Lose #2, #3, and #4 Overview

Every once in awhile Michael Deforge comes out with a new issue of his comic "Lose". As I'd been seeing his stuff in various articles or indie comics, when I saw a comic shop had three issues of his series, I eagerly snatched them up.

Deforge often receives accolades from folk, so my saying he creates masterworks is just another drop in the bucket of praise. Part of the reason I enjoy his work so much is that is drips with imagination and creativity--something at times lacking in the comic industry, it can feel like.

Lose #2 cover.

The 2nd issue of "Lose" has the majority of its pages dedicated to a tale that is both extremely creepy and a little sweet--the title is, "It's Chip." It is about a boy named Chip who is picked on by everyone from bullies to his own brother. He meets a decapitated horse head with these weird spiders living around it and develops a strange bond.

The spiders, meanwhile, start spraying people with a dangerous chemical that horribly hurts them and over a period of a few days spider-eggs enter the water supply the entire world comes to fiery end, but Chip at least makes a friend. As I said, quite imaginative and creepy.

Lose #3 cover.

Lose #3 features the comic, "Dog 2070," where a dog named Stephen who is divorced from his wife, Linda, struggles in life and basically comes off as a very depressed and lonely individual. It is kind of like those melancholy movies or independent comics about a loser who overcomes the trials of life, except in this case the main character stays a loser...and it's a dog who lives in some surreal junkyard world instead of a human.

The tale both at once seems grounded with its everyday miseries Stephen faces (divorce, unable to relate to his kids), and fantastical with the idea there are dogs in some garbage-filled place, that also inexplicably can glide, but generally don't due to its risks. This is one of my favorite stories due to its interesting mixture of ideas, but saying which Deforge comic is your favorite can be hard because it is like trying to pick the "best" thing in a big group of "awesome".

Lose #4 cover.

Lose #4 has a trio of long-ish stories, each more out-there than the last. "Someone I Know," is about a weird club full of leather and studs, that somehow enter into your body and...well, it was probably the weakest Deforge story for me (albeit still neat) in that it has his creativity but the story seems unsure where it wants to go before puttering out. I like that the main character is named David though.

A quite weird story then starts that is about, "Canadian Royalty," and how their bodies are morphed and strange outfits put on them to give them an otherworldly and alien appearance. It is extremely bizarre and also quite clever in its way of mocking people's tendency to obsess over celebrities. As far as I know, because Canada is under British rule they don't actually have royalty, but it's fascinating to imagine a culture with such strange outfits and customs.

The last longer story is in fact probably the strangest. Titled, "The Sixties," it is about a world where this kind of illness called, "Stacyface" causes everyone to have the face of a girl who was apparently named Stacy. Not every living thing has this problem, but most of the particular region our main character, Diane, lives in seems to suffer from it as apparently it can be contracted somehow--making others very nervous around its sufferers. The comic follows the aforementioned girl named Diane as she mulls about thinking on how life pretty much sucks with "Stacyface" causing everyone to look the same. She wishes she were around in the 1960s before Stacyface became a thing in her town. I really liked this story but it was quite short, I wish it had been longer and fleshed-out more of just what "Stacyface" is and how it has impacted life.

Overall, the 3rd issue is probably my favorite (thanks to "Dog 2070"), with the 2nd and 4th both being equally enjoyable too. Deforge is incredibly talented and I am eager to get a copy of the latest issue of "Lose" that just came out. I eagerly recommend reading Deforge's stuff to anyone who wants something out-there. Seriously though, anyone who likes comics and enjoys creative stuff should read this series.
Lose #2: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Lose #3: 5 out of 5 stars.
Lose #4: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Check out more of Deforge here.