Feeble Wanderings

Wet Moon #1

by Sophie Campbell

An all-new edition of the first book in Sophie Campbell's critically acclaimed original graphic novel series, WET MOON! With brand new covers designed by cartoonist Annie Mok (Screen Tests) and special extras in the back, this edition is perfect for longtime fans and new readers alike!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Queer, Graphic Novels Comics, LGBT, Comic Book

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2004

About the author

One of the most exciting and talented creators working in comics today, Sophie Campbell has made her mark on IDW books such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Jem and the Holograms.

A graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design, Campbell began her career writing and drawing independent comics primarily focused on the lives of young women from all walks of life, including Wet Moon, Shadoweyes, and the Abandoned. She further proved her versatility as an artist when she began drawing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for IDW, where her kinetic action sequences and distinctive character art were a hit with fans and critics alike.

Campbell was brought on as the first artist on the IDW continuing series Jem and the Holograms, where she was responsible for the modern redesign of the characters and establishing the unique look of the comic. Her work on Jem with writer Kelly Thompson was so well received that the two were profiled by the New Yorker in 2015.

Campbell continues to work on several projects for IDW, as well as her own creator-owned independent comics.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bunch of Goth girls start art college and are often mean to one another even though they are supposed to be friends. Most of it is just sitting around talking about nothing of consequence. This moves slower than molasses. Campbell is a talented artist but I didn't care for the bloated pouting doll design of the characters.

[Melanie (TBR and Beyond) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea where to even start with this graphic novel. It was based around a few young goth girls that were in college. Not a whole lot happened, which isn't a big deal except none of the characters were that fantastic to make this remotely enjoyable. The art is great, it's what kept me going but overall this one just wasn't for me. It seemed to go on an awful lot of stereotypes of the goth community and there was nothing really new here. I probably wouldn't personally be one to run around recommending this one but it might be worth it to check out just for the cool art.

[⭒Christie ☽✯➳✯☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I originally picked up this graphic novel because I liked the art style. The story is dark, flat and senseless. The characters are depressing, morbid and dry. All in all I’d say it’s a miss but I was left with curiosity about Cleo and her mystery guy. The rest of the characters are easily dispensable. And I absolutely hated that to be continued last illustration. Oh and Fern is a spaz.

[Michael Kucirek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Lack of a Title for a Lack of Words

I just came back from a weekend in Copenhagen. Most of the plans I’d had never came off so I ended up in my hotel room reading Wet Moon (which I had just bought by chance), a testament to the fact that adventure might as well be found in a book as on holiday. I consumed the first volume almost in one go, lying on the bed munching potato chips, totally absorbed like Trilby watching Star Trek.

I loved Cleo from the first moment, her insecure posture, her little round body, short arms and small feet, and the way she holds her cigarette to her hip. There’s just something very lovable about this shy, short, slightly overweight goth, who’s trying to be nice to everybody which awakens the empathy of the reader.

Cleo appeals because she is real . I feel like I’ve seen her before. That goes for the other characters as well. They are true . Sure, they may all be stereotypes, but that at the same time is what makes them realistic and, therefore, as unique as their names: Cleopatra Lovedrop, Mara Zuzanny, Malady Mayapple (...?), Trilby Bernarde (Trilby Bernarde! :D) to mention a few.

I feel like Campbell has torn out a piece of reality and shown it to me in a way that makes me see more than I did before, like if his book is a magnifying glass. If art was ever about portraying the human condition (and beauty) or showing reality in a novel way, Campbell has built a Sixtine Chapel.

Campbell’s eye for the human body and his mastery of anatomy speaks for itself (there's some real weight behind Cleo shoving Trilby on p. 14, I can almost feel her hands on my shoulder blade), although some of the girls (especially Cleo, Audrey, and Myrtle (yet another marvelous name from Campbell’s hat of wonders)) appear a bit too fertile (even Mara, that African tribal tiger goddess, seems a bit stocky). The most enviable part of Campbell’s drawings is that they all appear so effortless and easy, they almost seem careless.

I am drunken with Campbell’s use of body language and facial expressions to really hammer out the nature of the characters. Examples are Cleo’s frequent displays of insecurity as well as her numerous expressions of surprise and excitement and skinny, freckled Trilby and her boyish demeanor, covering her insecurity (so clear-cut and elegantly shown in the scene where’s she’s watching Star Trek and the one where she’s looking up at Martin, indeed also Trilby obviously thinking on something else while Audrey is talking on p. 100) which makes her an adorable brat for all her façade.* I can actually hear the thick, lisping way Trilby’s brazes makes her talk.

Another thing that deserves mentioning is Campbell's attention to detail, both to objects as well as behaviour like for instance the Star Craft Hydralisk on the shelf of Slicer’s and Audrey’s apartment or Cleo toying with her hair or her crackled nail polish.

This is, of course, mostly form. No game, however good the graphics, is worth playing without sound gameplay, but Campbell’s sense of storytelling is as spell-binding as his artwork. What hooked me on at first was the way he was able to tell a (totally dialogue-driven) down-to-earth tale with everyday conversations about everyday problems and still make it compelling. I could happily have read a whole volume about nothing but being in love and your room mate stealing your vegan soups.

But then at the same time there’re these plots evolving beneath the sunny surface of Wet Moon which keeps you wanting more and more (the art of storytelling, I so need to read book 2), the most mysterious of them revolving around the character of Fern (who/ what is she?). While Wet Moon is mostly cute there are these...things...that just makes it eerie if not downright disturbing from time to time (like for instance Myrtle’s self-hate, the frame with the tongue on p. 23 gives me the creeps, it’s like it has its own evil consciousness). And who is that knight on the bus?!

I’m all warm inside. Like if it’s Christmas. I just want to hug them. Tell Cleo that the pain in her stomach will go away and Myrtle that everything will be alright.

I’ll be spending this summer in Wet Moon. It’s like discovering a new Twin Peaks or a new Sunnydale.



* a few (the book abounds with examples) favourite expressions are Cleo looking up at Trilby on p. 13, Cleo greeting Audrey and looking surprised (those huge eyes, so full of wonder and amazement) on p. 15, the horror on Cleo’s face on p. 34, a confused Cleo looking up at Malady on p. 48, Cleo looking at Connor drawing his geeky NightDemon, Cleo looking excited at Trilby and listening to Audrey on p. 107 and Cleo standing in the shadows on p. 127 carefully peeking after Vincent, hee hee. And that’s just Cleo. The list would be just as long for any other character.

[noosha · Rating 4 out of 5]

kind of boring and tragic but amazing art and also i think there is scary mystery ???

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I just read this one again. The first time I read it was when it was brand new and Ross had just come out with it. At the time I was so in love with his art I just had to own it right away, but once I read it I kinda felt like 'nothing happened' in the book. Reading it again, I was totally wrong. On the face, not much happened physically (Cleo ran into Myrtle head first, and mostly people gossiped about other people and fought about things that seemed trivial). But yea, things did happen and all the gossippy stuff is actually so true to real relationships, especially college age ones. Lots of immaturity, but really enjoyable immaturity to read.
And then there's the art. He's in a class all his own when it comes to the art. It actually does good things for my self confidence at the moment, seeing such beautiful, fuller figgured girls in awsome clothes.
Anyway, the art gest better as the series goes on. Cleo's eyes get massive in later books, and I'm still not sure how I feel about that, but I'm thinking I may be into it given a little more time.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my break from Superheroes and man, this one is about a bunch of goth friends in college and their lives, story was ok, even though the main character is fucking annoying as hell, but the artwork is where its at on this one. Amazing art that I just can't get enough of.

[Nnedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex characters and excellent art.
I was 100% satisfied with this book.

[caratastrophe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

I mean I didn't really get it. There was so much that was just really confusing and the story didn't really flow. Like they would open up a scenario and then just abandon it and never return to it which was weird especially when some of these scene seems to have been important to the development of the story. I wish it was better than it was, classic case of the cover pulled me in and the book itself just couldn't really deliver.

I might read the next volume solely for the facts that they're graphic novels so it won't take me long at all and plus the covers and just so gorgeous it would be nice to have at least two in the series.

[Lotte Leenaerts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik las deze op aanraden van mijn bibcollega die instaat voor de collectie graphic novels. Het is een heel andere manier van lezen die me iets minder ligt, maar het einde (met cliffhanger) maakt me wel benieuwd naar het vervolg.

[Wandering Librarians · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cleo is beginning college and dealing with her two new roommates, who she's convinced hate her. Cleo and her friends deal with the daily angst or love and friendship, as someone begins spreading rumors about Cleo.

I had the same reaction to Feeble Wanderings that I had to the other graphic novel by Ross Campbell I read. Hardly anything actually happens, and I dislike every single character. I can't care about a story if I don't care about what happens to at least one of the characters. And just like in Water Baby, everyone is Feeble Wanderings was unpleasant, sulky, or mean, and I just don't care what happens to these people.

I know some people are into comics and graphic novels like this. The ones were nothing much happens, and it's lots of people complaining about the futility of life, or whatever. I do not. So this was not for me.

I was also bothered that I couldn't figure out what kind of world I was in. Was it supposed to be the real world? And alternate world? It seems like everyone in this town dresses punk or goth. Is that just the college community Cleo is in, or is it the world she's in? It was unclear.

Something I do give Campbell credit for is that he's never afraid to show what people really look like, especially during their most private moments. When someone is starting at themselves in the mirror trying to decide if they're fat. When they pick their nose when they're alone. There is kind of a gritty ugliness to the way he draws people. Like it's almost too real.

I do not like the way any female character is drawn with huge, shinny lips though. I find that annoying.

It was not for me, but it might be up an angsty teenager's ally.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of Wet Moon concerns itself with the dreariest bits of late adolescence: the pointless squabbling, the anxiety and paranoia, the sheer amount of hanging around not quite knowing what to do or who to be. This is the dark matter of youth, the bulk of it that memory makes invisible. So recapturing it makes for great drama, right? Well, not really. Much of it is just as tiresome to read as it was to live. And Goth protagonist Cleo is so awkward that the comic gets hard to parse - when a character's default response to everything is to flee and mope, it's difficult to work out which instances are significant and why. But this is what some people are like, and I admire Sophie Campbell's willingness to not sell her characters' issues short for the sake of a tighter drama - even if it makes Wet Moon as frustrating as it is intriguing. At least she's incredibly good at drawing introspection - this is one of the great characters-stare-into-mirrors comics.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It strikes me that of all the books I've read on Goodreads, this one has the most uniform reviews - what varies isn't really the perception of the book, but how much the style appeals to a particular individual.

The art gets three stars from me, mainly for the great character design. The storytelling is weak (Does Cleo actually leave a conversation with her friends to take off her clothes and examine her body in the bathroom mirror, then go back to them? Because that's the way it's drawn.), and the plot's virtually non-existent. I kind of liked it, though.

The parts I liked reminded me of Baker Street, an under-rated punk rock Holmes pastiche from the 80's, and the parts I didn't like reminded me of Strangers in Paradise, an over-rated soap from the 90's. I will check out book two, at least.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only read up to the first two volumes. The artwork is phenomenal and that's why I gave this 3 stars. Ross Campbell draws queers in all different shapes, colors, sizes and even non-ableists. I felt like this book had great potential and it would have been great to read about the many stories by these characters could tell about themselves. However the story was non-existent. I didn't connect to the characters at all. There didn't seem to be much character development mostly because the dialogue was kinda bland even though it had great premise in really developing a fine story. Maybe I will eventually come back to this series but I kinda felt the first two volumes dragged along.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I did highly enjoy about this graphic novel was the artwork.
All the characters had different body types and looked refreshingly realistic.

But I honestly had no idea what was happening in this book. There was a lot of random and quite boring scenes in it that lead to nothing. Was there a plot hidden in there? There might have been. It was just too well hidden that it does not do its job of luring me in to read more.

I will look into more of Ross Campbells art, but I don't know if I will continue this series.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ross Campbell has a knack for drawing fairly realistic, believable women. This isn't nearly common enough in comics. Granted, I've never lived in an area with such a preponderance of body piercings and goths--I suspect artistic license--but it's a fun, atmospheric story. As of the end of volume one, not much has happened story-wise. Groundwork has been laid. Characters have been introduced. We'll see where this all goes. I'm generally liking it so far.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this a lot more than I expected to. At first I wasn't a huge fan of the 'pouting doll' look of a lot of the characters, but overall the quality of the art is excellent.

I enjoyed the calm meandering of the plot, let it sort of wash over me. There are a lot of characters, but they're drawn well enough to make them distinct. There is enough 'there' here for me to want to keep reading.

[Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read 6/22/17: Still enjoyable. 😁👍

I loved Wet Moon, Volume 1. Something about Cleo Lovedrop speaks to me. The graphics are amazing, but the typography could be bigger. I also love how inclusive the cast is. I can't wait for Volume 2.

[Summer (speaking_bookish) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately there are a lot of things about this graphic novel that I didn't like. This was a completely impulsive, random read. I somehow stumbled upon the author's bio, saw she is the artist behind the TMNT graphic novels and decided to see what other stuff she had created. When I came across Wet Moon the old cover art portrayed a gothic, plus-sized girl- between that and the unusual title I thought I'd check it out on KU. I never really intended on reading it, I was more interested in the art- I can only describe the art by comparing it to a gawker at the sight of a car accident: Even though the scene is disturbing and probably unappealing/repulsive to look at you still can't seem to turn away. In this way I ended up hate reading this story.

The first thing I want to mention beyond my first impressions is the fact that there are very few, if any, characters in this book that are likable in any way. Wet moon follows Cleo Lovedrop as she's entering her first year at the local art college. She has a gaggle of friends that also star regularly in the narrative. Cleo is an immature, pitiful girl that begs for any friendly scraps that she can get from her friends. Her best friend, Trilby, is a crass, rude, girl who treats Cleo like crap and takes advantage of the friendship when it benefits her. Cleo's sister Penny is nasty to her for absolutely no reason and even makes her walk home across town barefoot because she wanted her shoes back that she had let Cleo borrow. Even the characters that aren't overtly mean to Cleo are still unfriendly and generally impatient- it takes very little for one to set the other off resulting in random people storming off all over the place. In the midst of all this sits Cleo in her habitual 'poor me' mood with a sad look on her face. I simply cannot abide a character who whines incessantly, lets people push her around, and then perks up like a scolded puppy when the people around her decide to show a bit of kindness. Not to mention every time she runs into her ex she gasps and runs away like a marathoner in the opposite direction- even if it means not going to class, walking an extra mile in the wrong direction, or face-planting down a set of concrete steps. I had the worst case of second hand embarrassment while reading this book.

Wet Moon is supposed to be set in a small town in the Deep South of Florida. That isn't at all the atmosphere portrayed by the art- or at least I wasn't convinced of that by the art. The feeling I got from this story was of an urban, low-income city. Something I found to be a bit unrealistic was the prevalence of the goth fashion and lifestyle. Thinking back on my time reading Wet Moon I think I came across only two characters that weren't dressed in gothic fashion (platform shoes, fishnet, holes in their clothing, spikes, chains, piercings EVERYWHERE, shaved heads and Mohawks, clothes revealing thongs, breasts, everything black... the list goes on and on). I have absolutely no issue with this type of fashion choice or attitude- I spent many years of my youth sharing a similar lifestyle- but I find it very unlikely that there is a Deep South town in which every single person dresses and looks this way. It was just too much. Not to mention that they all leaned towards looking unkempt and trashy- wearing clothes with so many holes im not sure how they stayed together. Their living spaces were also filthy. There was also a prevalence of women missing limbs. I guess I just don't understand why this style was chosen for every single character. Cleo in particular being a foot shorter than everyone else and also being overweight looked extremely silly wearing giant clown shoes and very little clothing. I just feel it was a poor style choice on the part of the artist- especially for Cleo.

To round out the criticisms I have for this book I think I'll mention the fact that this book isn't ABOUT anything. It's literally about what life is like with the above-described characters, from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed and all the ridiculous choices they make and things they say in between. And they say a lot- there's way more dialogue than I've come to expect from a graphic novel making it necessary to cram a lot of words in tiny writing in order to fit it all at times. This made me realize that I definitely prefer limited dialogue and more use of art to tell the story. I'm not even sure what the point of the story is if I'm being honest. Which I think is a good segue into the couple of things I found I did like about this book.

There is something about the storytelling that compels you to keep reading even when you're finding you don't care for a lot of the things going on. A lot of this is simply finding it unbelievable that any character could be so annoying, making it hard to look away from the train wreck that is Cleo Lovedrop. But there is also a part of the story that is intriguing. For instance, I cannot explain why, after all the things I really couldn't stand about this book, I went ahead and started the second volume. So the book definitely has a very compelling and easy-to-read quality to it that some people may be looking for as a palate cleanser or a story that requires very little brain power to understand and follow for those lazy days. It doesn't hurt that it's available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited. This definitely isn't a title I would have paid for, that's for sure.

Above all the best thing this story has going for it is the inclusivity of marginalized people such as the queer and black communities. I love that this book has a colorful cast of characters just for the sake of having them instead of it being ABOUT the fact that they are marginalized or focusing on the negative side of being such. I also think it's great to see plus-sized characters- being overweight is a common occurrence and it's downright weird that you rarely see this portrayed. Unfortunately the author didn't use the opportunity to encourage body positivity and instead made the plus-sized character obsess over her weight resulting in 'diets' that meant not eating or having a bad day and eating everything. Its also a point of contention in the friend group- certain characters giving the fat person grief for eating 'unhealthy' foods. The narrative surrounding this element just left a bad taste in my mouth.

In the end- I can't really say that I recommend this. I would have been completely happy if I had never picked this up- at the same time there are many people who could relate to these characters far better than myself and therefore find something of value in this series. It has a decent star rating so clearly someone out there really enjoys this series. Take that as you will.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Southern Gothic. Get it?? I got it. I liked it. Beautiful art. Cleo reminded me of my cat: small, round, cute, needy, throws up sometimes.
I loved the bios at the end; they made me respect Audrey even more and chuckle at Mara. Kind of wish Wet Moon was a ride at Disney Land that I could take my sister to so she could be worshipped as Granny Goth.

[Lilly Criscuolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is what made me pick up this book, and I continued reading it for that same reason. But, that's about it.
This story lacks plot and character development, which I don't mind reading between the lines or using my head to fill in the blanks but it was just too much. Although ill keep an eye out for the next volume, I won't be chasing it down.

[Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read as of 10/15/22 (4.5 stars): Although it's lost a little luster since the the last two times I read it, I still enjoyed this first volume and will continue on with the ladies of Wet Moon.

[Meliss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the art style, but I don't have any other positive things to say.

[M Aghazarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the character designs, but no one really does anything? Not sure if I feel like continuing with the series

[Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover is me after I finished this grapic novel, cause what the heck was the ending?!?!!!

[Rebecca Watkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

The art was pretty, which is why I picked it up. I was disappointed in the characters and the plot. Nothing happens, and the characters just complain about their lives a lot.

[Macha · Rating 4 out of 5]

cleo walks through a world filled with garbage. (is it really a college campus?) sometimes she's even barefoot. she feels inadequate, overwhelmed, alone, but she seldom says so, except in her journal where she's talking to herself. everyone she knows seems so self-absorbed they never notice she's drowning. yet she feels a connection to everyone around her, has a fear of losing them, because in some inarticulate way with magical thinking she's tied their fates together, tuned to a bogus fortune cookie meant for another, knowing they're drowning too. nobody helps her negotiate this small nightmare world; from her perspective it's almost like she's invisible in it. and she never notices that some of the people she meets do see her, and in fact want to know her better. but i'm thinking, in time she will get better at reading the threatening world she lives in, get better at acting on all these so mysterious cues and miscues. and there are stories she passes and fails to point to, in every frame: which shows she's gonna be a good writer, but up till now she's mostly recording, when she's not worrying about what she's being labelled. as all the characters (nerdy and punk and grunge and goth kids, all taking some form of art) express in their body language character that's still forming, recording lovingly all the rough edges they work so hard at and life will soon enough wear away. i especially like the way her contemporary world of neglect and anomie is drawn, how she sees it clearly but fatalistically seems to accept it as all she's got, and maybe all she's due. only in the few cottage scenes at Wet Moon is there a sense of a better world, but in that world cleo is all alone. the Palomar stories of Gilbert Hernandez must be an influence here, i think, though it's a very different setting and kind of narrative, and all that same kind of detail work - the fake-naive point of view, the characterization even of characters unnamed, and the larger stories in progress - all that is there to read already in Wet Moon's every frame.

[Kit Corcoran · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this series because my boifriend has it and recommended it to me years ago, but we were missing the first volume until recently.
I don't know what to say, it's depressing and angsty and not really about anything besides some punk goth teens in their first semester of college.
I am not 8n love with the art style, and the story doesn't have much to offer yet. I will try the next book because the series is so highly rated, but so far I am totally struggling to find what people love about it.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I love Ross Campbell's artwork--his depiction of pseudo-goth girls is dead on--I find his story to be... boring. I find myself not caring about a single character & also find them to be complete losers. I know, I know--maybe he's writing about losers. Maybe he always intended them to be losers. Well, there's interesting losers (aka, "beautiful losers") & then there's just L-O-S-E-R-S! Boring, uninteresting, cruel, waste-of-space losers & that's what we find populating this Oni Press title meant for the "hipster" crowd who listens to pseudo-goth music & dresses the part with clothes from Hot Topic. To get the story even rolling takes the reader into the second volume of the series & even then we don't fully know where this "plot" is going. This book is full of "talking heads" panels & has minimalistic dialogue, except when the characters are in groups--& even then their conversations are boring!
I think my problem is: I knew people like this when I was in high school/college & it was boring then too. Losers CAN BE INTERESTING but these characters come off as rejects from a very bad Greg Araki film (insert "The Doom Generation" here).
Again, it is a beautifully drawn book & deserves to be seen for that alone. I will seek out other work by Campbell but will not seek out other volumes in this series.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very slow, quiet book, told most often in facial expressions and actions instead of dialogue or narration. The mood is thick, the art is beautiful, and the characters are intriguing and more realistic than I’m used to seeing in graphic novels. They’re beautiful and quirky and fascinating.

Set in the southern town of Wet Moon, the story follows Cleo and her band of friends as they begin college. Cleo tries to adjust to her dorm room, her new roommates, and the sad slipping feeling of her friends slowly drifting in different directions. Having lived through college myself, I can say that it feels very accurate.

At the end of this first volume, we get to see some old artwork for the story, including the first five pages of an earlier version of the comic. It’s nice to see how the artist’s artwork, and take on the characters, evolved over time.