BUFF SOUL

In Romanova’s autobiographical graphic novel, an illustrator joins her musician friend on tour for a kaleidoscopic exploration of growth, friendship, and addiction.

A 26-year-old Swedish illustrator, Moa takes the opportunity to join her friend Åsa’s band on tour through California and Texas. Åsa and Lina’s band, Shitkid, is playing punk shows in small venues. Before embarking on the journey, Moa talks with her friend Sarah about regrets over drunken behavior, and Sarah later shares her journey from no substances to some substance use. Regret over what happens while intoxicated continues to permeate Moa’s life as she continues the tour with Åsa and Lina, but drugs and alcohol are a constant of the touring musician life. Romanova’s visual style recalls the underground comix styles of the 1970s, which fit well with the rock ‘n’ roll tour lifestyle setting of the story. After a rough night of brawling at a concert and getting driven back to their crash pad by cops, Moa’s debauchery starts to look less like youthful exploration and more like a serious problem. When Åsa disappears from her band duties, Moa recalls a time when she was part of a search party for a woman named Sofia who was found dead. When she finds Åsa and they go home, there’s no glamour left in the tour for Moa. She tries to address Åsa’s out-of-control behavior, but Åsa turns it back around on her friend. For Moa, it was less about the drugs and more about indulging in the chaos and inoculating herself from the consequences. Åsa and Moa reaffirm their commitment to their friendship and vow to regain stability. Though the characters skirt up to the edge of the addiction-related horror, they manage to help each other through sticky situations and get home mostly unscathed.

A thoughtful story about the dangers of addiction ends with a hopeful possibility of reinvention.