Link: http://www.thelengths.com

With the release of the third issue of Howard Hardiman’s latest work, The Lengths, I thought maybe I’d tell you all about it, let you know how good it is, so that you would all go and get it.

And let’s be clear; I am going to be telling you how good it is and insist that you get your copies ASAP.

The Lengths tells the story of Eddie, a young, art school drop out living in London, and his relationships. As if that wasn’t dramatic enough, the crux of the story pulls us in deeper to an emotional world of emotional twists and turns that ensnare Eddie, and the reader too. Because Eddie is also Ford, a male escort, drawn into this world by a powerful fascination with another male escort, Nelson.

Follow up:

And perhaps now’s a good time to mention this other factor; they’re all dogs. Or rather, anthropomorphised dogs, not just in the sense of being able to speak and react like people, but they also have some very human bodies and characteristics. But ultimately, they are dogs.

Now, this is not a world of chirping birds, sweet, colourful scenes and light, which may be brought to mind when you think of stories featuring anthropomorphised characters. Rather, think like Blacksad or Maus; this is a world of dark and light, sharp contrasts of black and white, evidenced in the art, where sex, lies and emotional trouble looms in every panel.

The series is entirely created by the talented Hardiman, who forms stories that are a genuine roller-coaster of emotion. The reader feels as lost as Eddie, not knowing whether one scene is happy or sad, and even if it is one way or the other, how long can that last. We don’t know if we can trust Eddie to make the right choices, and so we’re always completely ensnared by his life, as he dips in and out of memories of past actions to the current events, stumbling through a life we, and the protagonist, can’t quite seem to pin down; and completely fascinated by it all, all the same.

The art too is gorgeous. Dark and edgy, it’s built entirely around the stark contrast of brightest white and deepest, inkiest black. Hardiman agonizes over form, presenting us with well thought out and beautiful body types that celebrate the male form, as well as hinting at the power or vulnerability behind the character.

Now, one thing I would hate to see leveled against this comic is the idea that it’s a ‘gay book’. Frankly, it isn’t. The characters within are indeed gay, and true, some aspects of the world they live in may be more easily recognisable to a gay audience (such as the comic’s stand in for Grindr, Trackr, a gay social networking app that provides us with our introduction to characters), but frankly, the main feature of the story is the relationships. Important and powerful questions into how far we are willing to go on an infatuation or to seek love and connection, why we mess up the relationships we have, how much of yourself is too much to give away; all of these are universal questions as relevant to heterosexual readers as gay readers, and whether they are a man or woman reading.

Likewise, if you try to argue that it’s not a superhero book and it’s not your ‘thing’ well, let me tell you: I am much more of a superhero book reader, but I love this series. It’s crafted with such care and passion, and that can be felt in the end result, more so than the majority of mainstream superhero fair on the stands today. Likewise, it’s as much about ‘secret identities’ and the struggles of living a dual life as anything else, so there really is an access point for pretty much everyone in these books.

With the third issue out now, we are finally getting a true sense of where Eddie’s fascination with Nelson comes from, and how he became a part of his world. Moreover, I don’t know if it was just me, but I’ve got a sense of impending danger, whether emotional or physical, and it left me tense and eagerly awaiting the next issue.

The Lengths is available from Howard’s website, and in handy bulk packs with the whole series, at http://www.thelengths.com. However, the comic is also available via your local comic shop and Forbidden planet, as it landed a nationwide UK-distribution deal, an impressive feat for any small press indie comic, so that should give you as good an indication of how truly fascinating this series is.

So do yourself a favour, get lost in a world of troubled relationships, twists, turns, sex and lust, and get yourself copies of The Lengths. I honestly think you’ll find it’s one of the best comics you’ve read in a while.