Royal City #1 Review — Family Secrets
In the first few pages, I thought Jeff Lemire’s Royal City was going to cover all-to-familiar ground of a family who has lost a member too young. By page 10 I realized that not only is Royal City #1 not like anything I’m currently reading, it’s unlike anything I’ve read in the comic space. I picked it up because an Image press release intrigued, and the initial issue left me speechless.
Royal City 1 introduces us to a family, from a dying, small town (the titular Royal City), in various states of crisis. Matriarch (Patti) and patriarch (Peter) are shown to be in an unhappy marriage, at each other’s throats in their brief interaction. As Peter suffers a stroke, we are then shown their children, who are all at odds in their lives. Pat is an author whose last novel did not have great reviews, and is way behind on his draft for his follow-up book. Tara, a real estate agent, is trying to both make a name for herself (and, in turn, money), white securing the future of the town. Richie, an alcoholic, is drifting through life clinging onto his sister’s goodwill. Not a single person in this family is in a good place.
Least of all our narrator, Tommy. Initially, Tommy is introduced calling to his father, via an old, fuzzy radio wave — this being the incident which sparks Peter’s stroke. Soon enough, Pat sees a young Tommy standing on the road, dripping with water. Tommy then appears as a scruffy adult, lounging on a couch, encouraging Richie’s drifter ways and bad habits. Later, he’s a clean-cut adult, a member of the clergy, leading his mother through a prayer over his father’s hospital bed. Finally, we see him as an adorable young boy, all to happy to see his sister Tara, as she cooks his favorite dinner of mac & cheese.
The burning question behind Royal City, is what is going on in the town of Royal City. Tommy’s narration follows us throughout the comic, and he expresses a profound loneliness, despite manifesting in every person’s life. But his ghost appears to each family member as they want to see him; Tommy acknowledges that he is what every person needs him to be. Only Richie — who views Tommy as both enabler and comrade — seems to just want his brother as a friend.
As we see everyone sitting with Tommy, and then sitting alone, it’s easy to dismiss this as a coping method for each family member, but his narration establishes it as something more. Is Royal City really, for lack of a better work, “magical?” Or are the family members merely stuck in a rut? Is everyone going to have to eventually cast off their version of Tommy, to put him to rest, or does his spectre need his family as much as they need them?
Royal City #1 is a beautiful, heart breaking glimpse into a family post-tragedy. It’s clear that the death of Tommy profoundly affected this family, and it was a tragedy from which they never fully recovered. The literal and figurative ghost of Tommy clings to each family member, filling a void they so desperately need filled. I can already tell this series is going to wreck me.
Our Rating: YUS
Author: Jeff Lemire
Artists: Jeff Lemire
Publisher: Image Comics
Publish Date: 03/01/2017
Acquired via Purchase
