Is love a straight line or a dead end? This could be the question posed by Asphalt Blues, the latest release of the Associated Humanoids. A man and a woman, formerly in a relationship, follow a parallel route leading them to a crucial stage in their lives.
Hit the road Jack
In the very near future, Nina and Mick have been separated for thirteen years and each has rebuilt their lives but they feel the Asphalt Blues or could it be the midlife crisis? Nina does not accept her husband's jealousy because she attracts light as much as he does. Mick has to deal with his wife's depression. Without realizing it, this duo shares a very close daily life. These banal or more rhythmic moments follow one another and reveal the fragility of the feeling of love. Jaouen Salaün masterfully conducts all the elements of the book since he is a scriptwriter, artist and colorist of Asphalt Blues. The reader is first impressed by the drawing focused on a very strong realism. Little information goes through the dialogues but we remain on the impressions of the characters just as the drawing leaves an immaculate surface. The colors illustrate the general atmosphere because we slide from the pink past to a glacial or realistic present. These color ranges give a matte effect by the absence of inking but this smooth image reveals the flaws of the beings. The reader is as close as possible to these beings by very tight framing that cuts the bodies.
On the road to the feeling of love
At the time of their life together, Mick is an arrogant asshole. He knows this but can't change because of his past as a foster child. Exhausted by these problems, Nina no longer has a feeling for him. The omnipresent water and paragliding show that this period is a suspended time where lovers float but gravity catches up with them. Asphalt Blues is stingy with dialogues to let settle a cottony atmosphere on the nostalgia of a bygone time. This vagueness is also geographical. We are probably in the United States but it is never explicit. Superb scenes mark as when Nina mechanically lights a cigarette and then gradually enters the pool while the glowing tip of her cigarette goes out. After the breakup, Nina moved forward. She works in fashion and lives with an executive in a company threatened by ecological terrorism. In his private life, Mick posed by becoming a father but his wife is marked by a traffic accident yet impossible car because now everything is automatic. Did she attempt suicide? Although their common past seems to be over, links between them multiply and bring them closer together: an image, a common problem and then a person from their entourage who is increasingly close. Separated, they have more in common than together: sexual misery, economic frustration and a past that worries their half. Through a link, the narrative expands and becomes political. The story of Asphalt Blues takes place in the future but, initially, by details. There are no robots but the dialogue between the lovers passes in video in electric cars that change colors. But, science fiction arrives after the breakup by robots and increasingly futuristic cars that punctuate the love misadventures of Mick and Nina. Buckle up and follow the Asphalt Blues couple on the difficult path of love. If the trip is hit, it will prove splendid by the drawing of Jaouen Salaün. The end of the road is a bit idyllic… although. A final turn changes the perspective and offers an unexpected landscape. If you are looking for different visions of the future, we recommend our columns on Bleed Them Dry and Amen.
