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Strangers in Paradise Pocket Books #4
Strangers In Paradise, Pocket Book 4
Katchoo loves Francine, but her wild past and dangerous enemies prove to be more than Francine can handle. Find out where the girls go from here in the fourth Pocket Book collection of the Strangers in Paradise story.
360 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2005
5 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Terry Moore
824 books649 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]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 10, 2023
I read the Abstract Studios comic books series three #13–25 and the Lyrics & Poems one-shot which are collected in this Pocket Book. This is multi timeline storytelling at its peak, with the past, present and future are all tied together, to push on this amazing series towards ...tragedy, surely? The superb writing and amazing storytelling are integral in this character-led but definitely story-driven near masterpiece, that has morphed from a quirky lesbian romance drama to a quirky lesbian romance crime thriller drama! 8 out of 12, fabulous Four Star read.
2014 read
2014 read
November 3, 2017
OMIGOSH the ending of this edition is just a tear jerker!
The love triangle continues to alternate with the mystery and intrigue regarding Katchoo's past as an underage lesbian hooker and the Parker Crime Syndicate. Enjoy every character a bit more grown up but at times very confused still about their future ideas for life and purpose. The ups and downs render you to feel for these characters and root for them along the way. Again, every human emotion is touched on and the lyrics and poetry are back very strong in this volume.
I continued reading this series in the pocket book edition, since our library does not have them in the original editions anymore.
Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 4 comprises Vol. 3, #40–45, 47–48, 50–60, which makes this a 376 page graphic novel. My only tiny gripe with that is, that the pics, text boxes and graphics are all smaller then the original sized novels.
If you happen to find yourself in a reading slump, give this series a try. It reads effortlessly and you will get lost in it.
The love triangle continues to alternate with the mystery and intrigue regarding Katchoo's past as an underage lesbian hooker and the Parker Crime Syndicate. Enjoy every character a bit more grown up but at times very confused still about their future ideas for life and purpose. The ups and downs render you to feel for these characters and root for them along the way. Again, every human emotion is touched on and the lyrics and poetry are back very strong in this volume.
I continued reading this series in the pocket book edition, since our library does not have them in the original editions anymore.
Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 4 comprises Vol. 3, #40–45, 47–48, 50–60, which makes this a 376 page graphic novel. My only tiny gripe with that is, that the pics, text boxes and graphics are all smaller then the original sized novels.
If you happen to find yourself in a reading slump, give this series a try. It reads effortlessly and you will get lost in it.
January 30, 2017
Book 4 of Terry’s Moore’s charming and riveting Strangers in Paradise series raises the drama and the heartbreak to new levels. After recent events, Katchoo, Francine, and David are endeavoring to move on with their lives. Katchoo and David struggle to maintain their friendship in Francine absence, but Katchoo once again withdraws into herself. David, unable to comfort her and no longer able to bear the divide in their relationship, leaves her. In a quest to continue the Baker line, Katchoo’s sister Tambi bargains with David to leave Katchoo alone if he is willing to father her child. At the same time, a pregnant Francine is wracked with indecisiveness over her impending marriage to Brad Silver, brother of renowned musician Griffin Silver. While her fairytale dream of a husband and children appear to be coming true, she can’t help but wonder if she can set aside her Methodist upbringing to be in a loving lesbian relationship with Katchoo, who she learns is romantically involved with the recently divorced Casey Femur.
Like the prior volumes, Book 4 continues its in-depth study of modern life, love, and the beauty and hardships of friendship. With astonishing artwork, complex characters, subtle humor, and first-rate writing, Moore expertly navigates the female psyche in a way that very few comics can achieve. The great charm of this story lies in its characterizations—so incredibly realistic and well-wrought that’s it difficult to adequately put into words.
Strangers in Paradise is an unparalleled comic series with something for everyone to enjoy. Although Book 4 contains little of the criminal espionage story arc, it’s not what you would call a light-hearted romp. Here we see Katchoo react to the death of a loathsome figure from her past and Francine experiences traumatic life event. Readers with a strong investment in the characters may find themselves reduced to tears by the time they reach the last page.
Like the prior volumes, Book 4 continues its in-depth study of modern life, love, and the beauty and hardships of friendship. With astonishing artwork, complex characters, subtle humor, and first-rate writing, Moore expertly navigates the female psyche in a way that very few comics can achieve. The great charm of this story lies in its characterizations—so incredibly realistic and well-wrought that’s it difficult to adequately put into words.
Strangers in Paradise is an unparalleled comic series with something for everyone to enjoy. Although Book 4 contains little of the criminal espionage story arc, it’s not what you would call a light-hearted romp. Here we see Katchoo react to the death of a loathsome figure from her past and Francine experiences traumatic life event. Readers with a strong investment in the characters may find themselves reduced to tears by the time they reach the last page.
March 8, 2015
Oh, the drama. I love Terry Moore's art style and his comics in general, but while he does try to write women that have variety and complexity, strong in masculine and feminine ways (mostly masculine), I just find that his depiction of women is pretty skewed. Like, "has emotional crisis every 3 minutes and nobody can do anything right". Francine's tried to get married like 16 times already and I have no idea how she keeps finding dudes that are patient and don't mind that she actually wants to be with someone else, but can't because of her inner homophobe or whatever. Also, Katchoo doesn't even once own up to the fact that she slept with Casey & secretly thinks she's exciting! UGH! Come on, girl.
September 28, 2023
I think it's official: I don't care at all anymore
August 30, 2011
Actually, this one wasn't half bad... or, more accurately, it was more than half bad, it was 3/5ths bad, but still up from my usual 4/5ths bad ranking of Strangers in Paradise collections. Even though there was a lot of boring re-capping and expository yammerings, there wasn't as much stupid mafia intrigue and the admittedly novel use of various mediums and genres (boring plain text, horrible poems and songs, photographs, magazine articles, dreams, cartoons, slips around time and various possible dimensions) kept me entertained for the most part.
Here's a tip though: If you're going to invent a hugely successful Morrissey-type sissy-boy rock star, try making his songs not suck, okay? It makes the whole thing lack believability. The same goes with Katchoo, who's supposed to be this genius artist, but all we ever see are these really shitty, derivative paintings and self-absorbed and boring journals from what I can only guess is a "retrospective" of her work.
Also, I think Katchoo looks like Sylvester P. Smythe, which is a pretty gross comparison.
Here's a tip though: If you're going to invent a hugely successful Morrissey-type sissy-boy rock star, try making his songs not suck, okay? It makes the whole thing lack believability. The same goes with Katchoo, who's supposed to be this genius artist, but all we ever see are these really shitty, derivative paintings and self-absorbed and boring journals from what I can only guess is a "retrospective" of her work.
Also, I think Katchoo looks like Sylvester P. Smythe, which is a pretty gross comparison.
January 20, 2017
Wow, what an emotional volume. If you thought previous volumes were an emotional roller coaster, then you ain't seen nothin' yet. This one was deep and provoked emotion in a way few comics can.
I was starting to get a little bored with the soap opera antics of these characters as it was starting to feel cliche, but then Terry Moore threw in a bomb.
There's also some of the most graphic violence seen in the series so far, plus another twist I didn't see coming. While I do think the whole relationship carousel is getting old, but the storyline was strong enough to make me overlook it.
Just a really powerful volume which reinvigorated my flagging interest in the series.
I was starting to get a little bored with the soap opera antics of these characters as it was starting to feel cliche, but then Terry Moore threw in a bomb.
There's also some of the most graphic violence seen in the series so far, plus another twist I didn't see coming. While I do think the whole relationship carousel is getting old, but the storyline was strong enough to make me overlook it.
Just a really powerful volume which reinvigorated my flagging interest in the series.
August 5, 2008
Just keeps getting more and more complicated. Katchoo is still my hero; my heart goes out to Francine.
January 10, 2019
I think I am too hard on this comic, since it doesn't take place in Gotham or Metropolis, and this particular iteration ended almost twenty years ago I was expecting resolutions. So this might be an slightly generous rating. Comic books that survive for any significant amount of time, are primarily second acts, you get very little resolution. Lex Luthor and Superman are never going to be besties. Batman is never going to put Joker away permanently. There will never be an end to mutant discrimination in X-Men.
I was pissed at the last hundred pages of this volume because there wasn't any resolution, and I felt toyed with, until the above paragraph occurred to me. I started judging the volume differently. I don't think the writing is significantly worse or better than the previous volumes. Narratively, Moore incorporates a few things we saw in the previous volume; journal entries, pages from a thousand+ page novel(?). There are 'flash forwards' into different endings; some years in the future; some minutes into the future.
The book, unlike previous volumes does have something of a denouement to it. I believe previous volumes didn't or were more cliffhanger-y.
I think there is less humor in this volume; what humor there is, for me, lands pretty well. I enjoy Moore's humor, in prior volumes Moore would go off on wacky, flights of fancy, short bursts of funny. This has maybe five bursts, and most of them are a couple of panels; the conversation about the movie Harvey was hilarious. There is a Snow White bit of wackiness that also works; I think it'a homage to Robert Crumb that turns into a funny bit.
The fiercely beating heart of this story is the relationships between the characters. I think Moore does that very well. Other characters beside Katchoo and Francine have story arcs in this volume. The other part of Moore's work - The Parker Girls - an extraordinarily dangerous, violent organization I think works less well, but I understand that The Parker Girls story is the bedrock of any thriller plot. The only analogy I can make is to the television series 24, and layers of an onion. Watch any season of 24, and Jack Bauer will eventually resolve one storyline, but the terrorist will always have another person, another terrorist plot, another motivation. There is always another layer to the onion. Just as the writers of 24 had to write 24 'hours' of television so there had to be layers to the onion, Moore has created the Parker Girls, a vast opaque organization, he can resolve one storyline, and then create another person, another motivation. John Grisham has been working that thriller plot to bestselling effect for twenty-five years.
(Once you understand the narrative device of a thriller, it is one of those moments where you understand why everyone writes a thriller.)
Anyway if you've gone this far with Moore you're probably going to continue reading.
I was pissed at the last hundred pages of this volume because there wasn't any resolution, and I felt toyed with, until the above paragraph occurred to me. I started judging the volume differently. I don't think the writing is significantly worse or better than the previous volumes. Narratively, Moore incorporates a few things we saw in the previous volume; journal entries, pages from a thousand+ page novel(?). There are 'flash forwards' into different endings; some years in the future; some minutes into the future.
The book, unlike previous volumes does have something of a denouement to it. I believe previous volumes didn't or were more cliffhanger-y.
I think there is less humor in this volume; what humor there is, for me, lands pretty well. I enjoy Moore's humor, in prior volumes Moore would go off on wacky, flights of fancy, short bursts of funny. This has maybe five bursts, and most of them are a couple of panels; the conversation about the movie Harvey was hilarious. There is a Snow White bit of wackiness that also works; I think it'a homage to Robert Crumb that turns into a funny bit.
The fiercely beating heart of this story is the relationships between the characters. I think Moore does that very well. Other characters beside Katchoo and Francine have story arcs in this volume. The other part of Moore's work - The Parker Girls - an extraordinarily dangerous, violent organization I think works less well, but I understand that The Parker Girls story is the bedrock of any thriller plot. The only analogy I can make is to the television series 24, and layers of an onion. Watch any season of 24, and Jack Bauer will eventually resolve one storyline, but the terrorist will always have another person, another terrorist plot, another motivation. There is always another layer to the onion. Just as the writers of 24 had to write 24 'hours' of television so there had to be layers to the onion, Moore has created the Parker Girls, a vast opaque organization, he can resolve one storyline, and then create another person, another motivation. John Grisham has been working that thriller plot to bestselling effect for twenty-five years.
(Once you understand the narrative device of a thriller, it is one of those moments where you understand why everyone writes a thriller.)
Anyway if you've gone this far with Moore you're probably going to continue reading.
September 25, 2024
this was the worst one so far but the last 40-50 pages were incredible. the endless text was mind numbing
August 5, 2016
I love SiP so much. It has such a unique combination of elements. It has a great sense of humor that comes across so well. Then you have the action subplots with espionage which allows the series to go for broke on a regular basis. Primarily it is a very melodramatic (in the best sense of the word) love story, that like other soaps, go in circles and tread the same ground. These characters are so engaging though and I have come to know them so well that it continually draws me in. Plus, Moore writes so exceedingly well that he even becomes self-referential about the circles Katchoo and Francine go in. He also continues to be ambitious by writing sections of it as a play, others as a novel and regularly inserting lyrics and poems along with added illustrations. He plays with time and alternate versions of the story. Francine is one of the more frustrating characters I have ever read. I still really enjoy her but...ugh...all of these problems are basically her fault. The moment in which something very traumatic happens to Francine is some of the most effective panelling I've ever seen. Someday I hope to re-read the series in the proper volume form instead of the pocket book form. Overal this was just as good as the other volumes. I am particuarly interested to see where the Sara storyline goes. I cannot wait to get more from interlibrary loan.
July 5, 2010
This one tried my patience a little bit with the continued back and forth between Francine and Kachoo. But it was so good in a painful way at the end that all is forgiven. Who knew there were comic soaps?
I continue to be amazed by the blend of literary forms in this series. Comic (duh!), poems, lyrics, pages of prose in between. The freedom of expression in this genre is great. Being a sort of newbie to the genre I also still marvel how text and image evoke such powerful emotions. Brilliant.
I continue to be amazed by the blend of literary forms in this series. Comic (duh!), poems, lyrics, pages of prose in between. The freedom of expression in this genre is great. Being a sort of newbie to the genre I also still marvel how text and image evoke such powerful emotions. Brilliant.
July 8, 2012
The "so close only to be derailed...again" story-line starts to lose some of its impact the [fourth?] time around. Luckily Moore is such a craftsman that the book's charms more than pick up the slack.
July 4, 2007
I really thought that I hated this series, but I was wrong. I really think this is one of the best books/comics I have ever read. Very few books bring me to real tears, but this one does.
October 7, 2012
Can't they just be together already?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2024
The relationships between main characters Francine, Katchoo, and David reach their lowest points as each one have their own personal crises. Francine decides to get married, Katchoo dives into her painting career, and David runs into Katchoo's sister. Francine's and Katchoo's mutual friend Casey manages to bring the two women back together, with a surprising result. Terry Moore, as always, does an excellent job of character development and storytelling, with an art style that does an excellent job of showing emotions on characters' faces. When I began reading SIP, I quickly became hooked, so that I've since picked up every series Terry Moore has done since, and I plan to continue reading anything he produces in the future. I would recommend Strangers In Paradise to anyone who doesn't like superhero comic books because it reads like a romantic novel, just in comic book form.
June 5, 2021
Casey’s very sweet (if impulsive and misguided at times). I liked seeing more of her in this volume. The constant on-again-off-again nature of Katchoo and Francine’s relationship is getting quite repetitive. Lots of other stuff going on to keep me interested, though, and I still love both of the characters individually... I’ve just lost some of the excitement I had about their potential relationship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2017
love this series. looking forward to the last few pocket books.
July 25, 2018
Best SIP yet.
March 17, 2020
This book.continues to go through all the feels. I love and am invested in every character. The art and writing are just in a word... perfect.
October 12, 2021
I love this series. Faults and all
March 31, 2024
Local artist ruins her relationship - again.
November 9, 2024
Katchoo, Francie and David all find themselves separated as their choices and miscommunication bring them to find comfort in people outside of their tight knit little trio.
Katchoo and Francie… you were so close!
Katchoo and Francie… you were so close!
July 27, 2015
"This is so important and I'm not doing it right."
What a wildly poignant, moving story of love between Francine and Katchoo. It evokes all the "what if" moments every person has about his or her life and loves. It all just feels so real. Francine's discussion about love, men, and marriage with the minister was hard hitting, emotional, and totally on point. Strangers in Paradise should become even more socially relevant with the passage of same sex marriage in the United States.
There is less action than previous volumes. Everything starts idyllic: a Hawaiian getaway, an impending wedding, falling in love on a plane. This being SiP that all falls to pieces almost immediately but the opening contrasts very well with the ending. There's still the running storyline of the Parker Girls and Katchoo's older sister Tambi provides plenty of violence (of several flavors). The focus is mostly on the on-again-off-again relationship between Francine and Katchoo. The women seem to finally be growing up a bit. They can still act like tempestuous hormonal girls but in the end you can feel their love. The series definitely gets more powerful once you are married and have kids because you understand Francine a little better, particularly with her devastating setback to her life plans near the end of this volume.
Addressing real life fans' complaints in the work itself is very meta and leads to a neat twist in the framework of the story for a bit. The use of various mediums in the same book (comics, prose, handwritten journals, poems, songs with lyrics and music) make it feel more alive and unique. In particular, the song lyrics from Griffin Silver are so mournful yet oddly hopeful, providing some sort of direction for the sorrow. It's actually kind of disappointing he's a fictional musician!
The artwork is stupendous. Making so many characters distinct and easily recognizable is no mean feat. Moore masterfully highlights the subtle details of character interaction, such as Francine tentatively holding Katchoo's hand. And focusing on quieter moments forces Moore to actually draw people rather than rely on the next explosion filled splash page. Actually that's something I had not realized until now: there are no real splash pages in this entire volume (and entire series as far as I know). There are full page pictures presumably at the beginning and ending of some issues but there's no indication where issue breaks are in these pocket book collections.
Going back to the number of characters, that can be a detriment when reading this series with big chunks of time in between volumes. It takes a while to get back up to speed with some cast members. And sometimes I had to wonder whether I forgot a character everyone in the book seemed familiar with or it was a new character from everyone's shared past. The blending of relationships and storylines can get a bit convoluted as well but that's a pretty good reflection of the messiness of real life.
I rarely hand out five star reviews. I also rarely feel compelled to stay up too late reading. But this volume of Strangers in Paradise hit the nail on the head at the right time.
What a wildly poignant, moving story of love between Francine and Katchoo. It evokes all the "what if" moments every person has about his or her life and loves. It all just feels so real. Francine's discussion about love, men, and marriage with the minister was hard hitting, emotional, and totally on point. Strangers in Paradise should become even more socially relevant with the passage of same sex marriage in the United States.
There is less action than previous volumes. Everything starts idyllic: a Hawaiian getaway, an impending wedding, falling in love on a plane. This being SiP that all falls to pieces almost immediately but the opening contrasts very well with the ending. There's still the running storyline of the Parker Girls and Katchoo's older sister Tambi provides plenty of violence (of several flavors). The focus is mostly on the on-again-off-again relationship between Francine and Katchoo. The women seem to finally be growing up a bit. They can still act like tempestuous hormonal girls but in the end you can feel their love. The series definitely gets more powerful once you are married and have kids because you understand Francine a little better, particularly with her devastating setback to her life plans near the end of this volume.
Addressing real life fans' complaints in the work itself is very meta and leads to a neat twist in the framework of the story for a bit. The use of various mediums in the same book (comics, prose, handwritten journals, poems, songs with lyrics and music) make it feel more alive and unique. In particular, the song lyrics from Griffin Silver are so mournful yet oddly hopeful, providing some sort of direction for the sorrow. It's actually kind of disappointing he's a fictional musician!
The artwork is stupendous. Making so many characters distinct and easily recognizable is no mean feat. Moore masterfully highlights the subtle details of character interaction, such as Francine tentatively holding Katchoo's hand. And focusing on quieter moments forces Moore to actually draw people rather than rely on the next explosion filled splash page. Actually that's something I had not realized until now: there are no real splash pages in this entire volume (and entire series as far as I know). There are full page pictures presumably at the beginning and ending of some issues but there's no indication where issue breaks are in these pocket book collections.
Going back to the number of characters, that can be a detriment when reading this series with big chunks of time in between volumes. It takes a while to get back up to speed with some cast members. And sometimes I had to wonder whether I forgot a character everyone in the book seemed familiar with or it was a new character from everyone's shared past. The blending of relationships and storylines can get a bit convoluted as well but that's a pretty good reflection of the messiness of real life.
I rarely hand out five star reviews. I also rarely feel compelled to stay up too late reading. But this volume of Strangers in Paradise hit the nail on the head at the right time.
January 4, 2009
Awesome, as always, but there was something about this collection that was subliminally upsetting - I've been feeling off and restless the whole time I was reading it. I think it's because of how real and inevitable and downhill the relationships between Katchoo and Francine and David feel the whole way through. Not exactly a lighthearted romp, this one.
ETA: And I'm having the strongest association while listening to Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing album.
ETA: And I'm having the strongest association while listening to Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing album.
December 28, 2010
Less criminal conspiracy, more love, friendship and the everyday tragedy that goes with them. If there's another comic book series out there that deals with these topics half as well, I've never heard of it.
December 27, 2014
I find hard to review each pocket book separately, since I've read SiP so many times now that it's just a big, continuous story to me. But I think this one is my favourite in terms of intensity, emotions, plot and character development.
April 19, 2016
A poignant volume of the Strangers in Paradise saga - David loves Katchoo loves Francine loves Katchoo (but Francine is not a lesbian so is marrying Brad)... Everyone is sad and in love with the wrong person ... much like real life sometimes.
September 25, 2016
I got stalled halfway through with this one, but I think that was outside circumstances, and not the book. The "versions" thing and the book deal thing...pretty cool. Ready for a happy ending but so not ready to be done with these characters!
October 7, 2007
I love the SiP graphic novels. Love, love, love them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews