Not all stories are meant to be told from the beginning, as issue one of Violent Love reveals. Daisy Jane and Johnny Nails have both died the same way they have come into this world: violently. Issue one is a flashback told by Mr. Lou to a teenager by the name of Penny. The story he tells focuses on 19 year old Daisy Jane a bright young women who lives in California during 1969 with aspirations to go to college. She can’t afford it and neither can her father, which results in him turning to crime. He is introduced to a man named Johnny Nails, who is paying him to use his garage as a place to take care of his business. This money is being used to help fund Daisy’s college tuition. She eventually finds out, which leads Johnny to kill both her father and her by setting their home on fire. Daisy Jane survives which ultimately shapes her into the criminal she has become.
The Good:
The comic utilizes a unique technique of inserting a story within a story as Mr. Lou is telling Penny, a teenager, about Johnny Nails and Daisy Jane and how they saved his life. The comic has many more creative freedoms than others as in telling the story Mr. Lou can choose the order of how he wants to portray the events. This is done at the very start when he makes it clear that both Johnny Nails and Daisy Jane were both criminals and as a result of their actions are dead. This frames the comic to tell the story of how both Johnny and Daisy became criminals and how their actions lead them to their deaths. In particular, the comic begins to answer some of these questions and we see Daisy comes from a modest, hard working, family. Furthermore, she has aspirations to go to college despite not having the funds .The comic conveys the idea that she is innocent and pure at this point in her life. Due to lack of funds her Dad becomes involved with a gang led by Johnny Nails, as he is providing a safe place for them to “conduct their business”. Daisy finds out about this and leaves as the innocence she once had has changed. This is only compounded when she returns home to meet her father, to find him beat up by Johnny, who attempts to kill both of them by burning them alive. In witnessing her father’s choices and being subjected to the consequences it shapes her into becoming a criminal just like her father was.
The Bad:
The comic does not provide much information on who or what qualifies Mr. Lou to be able to tell the story of Johnny Nails and Daisy Jane. Not much information is provided on Penny, either, the teenager who he is telling the story to. This in many ways creates an awkward introduction to the comic. The other concern with the comic is the idea of a story being told within a story. Some readers will enjoy a comic that uses circular logic and mixes around with structure. Other readers will find the comic to be a difficult or unstructured read due to how it is set up.
The Verdict:
The comic is unique as it focuses on what has influenced two people and the results it has on their lives. Rather than tell a generic story, the comic tends to shake things up by telling the end of the story allowing the reader to focus on how the characters ended up there. This is rarely done in current media and makes the comic standout.
