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Strangers in Paradise Omnibus Editions
Strangers In Paradise Volume One
The multi-award-winning series, Strangers In Paradise, gets a brand new update in four exciting volumes!
Strangers in Paradise is the compelling love story of three unlikely friends who find themselves bound together by their pasts…
Katchoo is a beautiful young woman living in the spare bedroom of her high school friend, Francine. Brash and outspoken, Katchoo makes no secret of her love for Francine but that's not an option for the shy, insecure woman who looks for Prince Charming in a series of bad boyfriends.
Enter David, a gentle but persistent artist who seems determined to win Katchoo's heart. The resulting triangle is a touching comedy of romantic errors that takes the trio down a complicated road of murder, mayhem, and love featuring an array of characters including crime bosses, psychopaths, and well-meaning friends.
Strangers in Paradise is a funny, yet complicated multi-genre graphic novel that is sure to satisfy many tastes.
Strangers in Paradise is the compelling love story of three unlikely friends who find themselves bound together by their pasts…
Katchoo is a beautiful young woman living in the spare bedroom of her high school friend, Francine. Brash and outspoken, Katchoo makes no secret of her love for Francine but that's not an option for the shy, insecure woman who looks for Prince Charming in a series of bad boyfriends.
Enter David, a gentle but persistent artist who seems determined to win Katchoo's heart. The resulting triangle is a touching comedy of romantic errors that takes the trio down a complicated road of murder, mayhem, and love featuring an array of characters including crime bosses, psychopaths, and well-meaning friends.
Strangers in Paradise is a funny, yet complicated multi-genre graphic novel that is sure to satisfy many tastes.
480 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2023
11 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Terry Moore
749 books647 followersFollowing the examples of independent comic creators such as Dave Sim and Jeff Smith, he decided to publish Strangers in Paradise himself through his own Houston-based "Abstract Studios" imprint, and has frequently mentioned a desire to do a syndicated cartoon strip in the authors notes at the back of the Strangers in Paradise collection books. He has also mentioned his greatest career influence is Peanuts' Charles Schulz.[1] Some of Moore's strip work can additionally be found in his Paradise, Too! publications.
His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including receiving the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for Strangers in Paradise #1-8, which was collected in the trade paperback "I Dream of You".
It was announced on June 15th, 2007 that Moore would be taking over for Sean McKeever as writer of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series starting with a new issue #1. On July 27th, Marvel announced that Moore would also take over for Joss Whedon as writer of Marvel's Runaways.[2]
On November 19th, 2007 Terry Moore announced in his blog that his new self-published series would be named Echo and its first issue would appear on March 5th, 2008.[3]
His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including receiving the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for Strangers in Paradise #1-8, which was collected in the trade paperback "I Dream of You".
It was announced on June 15th, 2007 that Moore would be taking over for Sean McKeever as writer of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series starting with a new issue #1. On July 27th, Marvel announced that Moore would also take over for Joss Whedon as writer of Marvel's Runaways.[2]
On November 19th, 2007 Terry Moore announced in his blog that his new self-published series would be named Echo and its first issue would appear on March 5th, 2008.[3]
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 19, 2023
Strangers In Paradise first came to my attention when it was featured in the pages of Wizard Magazine. I picked up a few of the early trade paperbacks and while I enjoyed them and always praised the series if it came up in conversation, I guess (at least at the time) it was never enough to convince me to continue past where I quit reading the first go around. Now, cutting to some (probably) twenty years later the series is coming out in new collected editions. I happened to get my hands on the first volume. I know I have read all these stories before, but man, was I hooked from the start. Maybe all those years ago, I hadn't lived enough life to truly appreciate the series and there was even a part of me that worried my memory of it all wouldn't hold water and that's a little true. It was better this time around. This collection is almost 500 pages and I simply devoured it, reading late into the night and not wanting to put it down. I applaud Terry Moore for giving us an utterly timeless love story and I will looking forward to the next volume (if I can wait that long for the format).
Special thanks to Abstract Studio, Diamond Books and Edelweiss Plus for a digital ARC.
Special thanks to Abstract Studio, Diamond Books and Edelweiss Plus for a digital ARC.
May 27, 2024
I don't remember reading the early Volumes of Katcho and Francine..so this is somewhat new territory for me.
It's interesting to see how the characters and art developed over the issues.
The art even looking cartoony in certain situations..contrasted with some serious story lines..
It's interesting to see how the characters and art developed over the issues.
The art even looking cartoony in certain situations..contrasted with some serious story lines..
December 28, 2024
Not as good as I was expecting. The characters were inconsistent emotional wrecks and the story line convoluted and confusing in many places. I’m not generally a fan of love triangles either, and never quite understood what was happening from a romantic point of view (I think because the characters never did either).
September 28, 2023
Terry Moore is a one of my favorite artists. I really love Francine, and his comics were a refreshing change from spandex superheroes in the 90s. I bought the comics, and then the graphic novels, and recently, the PDFs of the graphic novels.
I saw this at the library and borrowed it - I had started a reread of the PDF graphic novels on a recent business trip. Perfect time to compare. This megabook lacks the covers, titles and advertisements, and unfortunately color - especially in the spandex interlude around page 338-42. The book must have been renumbered at some point, because the art credit lists 340-44, which isn't correct. I love the individual issue covers, which are included in the graphic novels - but not here.
This book has the story, and this may be the first time I've read the story cover to 1/4 of the way through (it stops part way through graphic novel #5, Immortal Enemies). This is not in the middle of an issue, but it is in the middle of a story line - very much a cliff hanger. Anyhow, in reading it through in one go, I realize the story is a lot weaker than I remember. The drawings are lovely, the emotions raw and visible, and the humor is good - when it is appropriate. The end of this book expresses a domestic abuse with humor, very much missing the mark.
I think I'll skip the other three bulky releases and return to the PDFs to finish the series reread. I lost a few of the paper graphic novels in a basement water incident, unfortunately. The individual issues (and their gorgeous covers) are still good, when last I checked.
I saw this at the library and borrowed it - I had started a reread of the PDF graphic novels on a recent business trip. Perfect time to compare. This megabook lacks the covers, titles and advertisements, and unfortunately color - especially in the spandex interlude around page 338-42. The book must have been renumbered at some point, because the art credit lists 340-44, which isn't correct. I love the individual issue covers, which are included in the graphic novels - but not here.
This book has the story, and this may be the first time I've read the story cover to 1/4 of the way through (it stops part way through graphic novel #5, Immortal Enemies). This is not in the middle of an issue, but it is in the middle of a story line - very much a cliff hanger. Anyhow, in reading it through in one go, I realize the story is a lot weaker than I remember. The drawings are lovely, the emotions raw and visible, and the humor is good - when it is appropriate. The end of this book expresses a domestic abuse with humor, very much missing the mark.
I think I'll skip the other three bulky releases and return to the PDFs to finish the series reread. I lost a few of the paper graphic novels in a basement water incident, unfortunately. The individual issues (and their gorgeous covers) are still good, when last I checked.
February 24, 2025
This is quite unique.
I've read another Terry Moore Book last year, which was Echo and I've liked it well enough. This story, however, spans 4 whole volumes and is often praised, so I was curious. This is marketed as a love triangle story between two best (female) friends and another guy sneaking his way in.
While this is true, the story dipped its toes into several genres in this volume alone. There's slapstick, tragedy, slice of life, action, mystery and romance of course. Not all of it works for me, but I've still wanted to keep reading.
The whole book is drawn in black and white, the artwork is not the best and there's a lot of text to be read. There's poems and lyrics sprinkled in quite often. Those did not work for me at all. In fact, it took me quite a few pages to get a feel for the flow of this book.
Then there's another big problem: The book was written in the 90s. There's pop culture references, which I don't get and there's a lot of chauvinistic crap in here, that caught me off guard and not in a good way. The slapstick is also often more annoying than entertaining.
And I'm still giving this 4 stars because the story is compelling. The characters, Francine & Katchoo especially, are really well written. None of them are perfect, quite the opposite. There's a great cast of side characters. I loved the Parker Girls and also Rachel is really interesting. I really want to know how the story develops and I can't predict it at all. I really hope there will be some kind of Boss Battle between Francine and Darcy, but I have no idea if that is far fetched or not.
I've read another Terry Moore Book last year, which was Echo and I've liked it well enough. This story, however, spans 4 whole volumes and is often praised, so I was curious. This is marketed as a love triangle story between two best (female) friends and another guy sneaking his way in.
While this is true, the story dipped its toes into several genres in this volume alone. There's slapstick, tragedy, slice of life, action, mystery and romance of course. Not all of it works for me, but I've still wanted to keep reading.
The whole book is drawn in black and white, the artwork is not the best and there's a lot of text to be read. There's poems and lyrics sprinkled in quite often. Those did not work for me at all. In fact, it took me quite a few pages to get a feel for the flow of this book.
Then there's another big problem: The book was written in the 90s. There's pop culture references, which I don't get and there's a lot of chauvinistic crap in here, that caught me off guard and not in a good way. The slapstick is also often more annoying than entertaining.
And I'm still giving this 4 stars because the story is compelling. The characters, Francine & Katchoo especially, are really well written. None of them are perfect, quite the opposite. There's a great cast of side characters. I loved the Parker Girls and also Rachel is really interesting. I really want to know how the story develops and I can't predict it at all. I really hope there will be some kind of Boss Battle between Francine and Darcy, but I have no idea if that is far fetched or not.
January 4, 2024
It's been a few years so it's time for another edition of Strangers in Paradise. This time in 4 volumes collecting the entire 107 issues across a gazillion publishers. This is not a complaint. Self publishing is difficult and it takes years sometimes to find out what works best for a creator, especially when you started in the 90s.
Terry Moore is one of my favorite comic book creators, specifically because of this series. While everyone else was drawing over muscled superheroes, Moore created this unique and hilarious series with a darker side to it. It's about Katchoo and Francine. Two lifelong friends. Katchoo is secretly in love with Francine and has a dark past that comes to light over the course of the series. Francine is her voluptuous best friend who always meets men who are pigs. David is the 3rd wheel in this tricycle. He meets Katchoo one day and they have an immediate connection.
Moore is a gifted storyteller. He makes being an artist look so easy. These characters express so much emotion but never overdoing it. It's just chef's kiss. His writing is often hilarious. But sometimes the story turns darker as we delve into the Parker Girls. This still remains at the top of the pile when it comes to my all time favorite comics.
Terry Moore is one of my favorite comic book creators, specifically because of this series. While everyone else was drawing over muscled superheroes, Moore created this unique and hilarious series with a darker side to it. It's about Katchoo and Francine. Two lifelong friends. Katchoo is secretly in love with Francine and has a dark past that comes to light over the course of the series. Francine is her voluptuous best friend who always meets men who are pigs. David is the 3rd wheel in this tricycle. He meets Katchoo one day and they have an immediate connection.
Moore is a gifted storyteller. He makes being an artist look so easy. These characters express so much emotion but never overdoing it. It's just chef's kiss. His writing is often hilarious. But sometimes the story turns darker as we delve into the Parker Girls. This still remains at the top of the pile when it comes to my all time favorite comics.
March 12, 2025
Samuel R. Delany once identified this quality as "pornutopic." "Hyperrealism" would be another taxonomic label. Certainly bizarro fiction and completely insane postmodernist works of fiction live up to it. And so, blessedly, does Terry Moore with STRANGERS IN PARADISE. I really SHOULDN'T have loved this comic as much as I did. This series is probably one of the most melodramatic comics I've ever read, but it's the completely unhinged story twists, man! The insane expository dialogue. The manic qualities of the characters (especially Katchoo). This was so enjoyable not because it was real, but because Terry Moore is hell-bent on pushing BEYOND what is real in order to serve up something that BECOMES real by way of the dogged vision. That's not a narrative skill that just anyone can pull off, but Terry Moore does in his writing and even his bold paneling, which can often be text-heavy. If I had a modest ding for this series, I'd say that Freddie is the least interesting character, but I do have a sense that he serves as a middle-aged foil for these young people. So I'll pardon Moore for that. This is a first-rate indie comic doing its own thing.
October 7, 2023
Well, this was disappointing. I had been looking forward to reading this series for years because it appears on many 'best of' lists.
But what I got was:
- Mediocre storytelling at best
- Cringey Dawson's Creek-level dialogues about love triangles
- Strong feminist characters written by a male author, but the whole thing reads like a male fantasy as the girls get half-naked and are objectified in every issue
- A main character (Katchoo) that I guess must suffer from a multiple personality disorder, as she appears to undergo abrupt and inconsistent personality shifts from one issue to the next
- Far-fetched crime/mob subplots that interrupt the love triangle debacle
- Incredibly lame poetry (by the author himself); a sample:
"I guess I'll always be.
The losing side of you.
Your mismatched other shoe.
Your after-midnight blues."
It's not all bad, there are some funny storylines and characters, and Terry Moore's skill as an illustrator are undeniable.
Nonetheless, for me, this journey comes to an end with volume 1
2,5 *
But what I got was:
- Mediocre storytelling at best
- Cringey Dawson's Creek-level dialogues about love triangles
- Strong feminist characters written by a male author, but the whole thing reads like a male fantasy as the girls get half-naked and are objectified in every issue
- A main character (Katchoo) that I guess must suffer from a multiple personality disorder, as she appears to undergo abrupt and inconsistent personality shifts from one issue to the next
- Far-fetched crime/mob subplots that interrupt the love triangle debacle
- Incredibly lame poetry (by the author himself); a sample:
"I guess I'll always be.
The losing side of you.
Your mismatched other shoe.
Your after-midnight blues."
It's not all bad, there are some funny storylines and characters, and Terry Moore's skill as an illustrator are undeniable.
Nonetheless, for me, this journey comes to an end with volume 1
2,5 *
November 6, 2025
After reading Rachel Rising, Parker Girls, Five Years, and Serial I decided to checkout Terry Moore's earlier work. It also helped me understand the characters, their histories, and relationships. It gave me a better appreciate for the books I already read.
To explain the complexity of this story would take too much time and I do not want take the effort. And more importantly I don't want to ruin it for you.
The is Wonderful. It is amazing how he can express such Fantastic variety of emotions with just simple lines.
To explain the complexity of this story would take too much time and I do not want take the effort. And more importantly I don't want to ruin it for you.
The is Wonderful. It is amazing how he can express such Fantastic variety of emotions with just simple lines.
July 20, 2023
A new omnibus edition of some old favourite comics. I read these in my late teens. The things I liked about them - the lesbian love story, the goofy 90s vibe, the clothes and hair. Sadly those things are kindof overshadowed by the constant slobbering male gaze, fat shaming and objectification. The sex worker assassin antics and action is too ott this time round too. So yeah I don’t really recommend them but it was a cool trip down memory lane for me.
November 16, 2023
Interesting story about love, friendship and other relationships with an undercurrent of mystery and crime. But it was the art that kept me reading all the way to the end of this ginormous graphic novel! Had to remove one star for the totally unnecessary poetry and the ongoing fat Francine theme. Especially considering she wasn't drawn very fat at all. A slight double chin doesn't mean you're exceptionally fat.
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December 8, 2023Diamond Bookshelf review pending
May 12, 2024
Finding Terry Moore last year is one of the best things I've done in a long time.
March 4, 2025
A lot of drama. But love this series.
September 17, 2024
A Strong 2/5 Action Drama Graphic Novel Book about deeply confused characters leading dysfunctional lives in beautiful black and white artwork.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews