Writer: Kat Calamia & Phil Falco
Artist: Valeria Peri
Lettering: Taylor Esposito
Got a stan on an actor? Maybe you’ve got a few favorite ships too! Maybe you just love a show and can’t get enough! It’s all true for me at least! What happens when something terrible happens to your crush’s character or the show ends? Slice Of Life takes this premise as a jumping off point to tell an upbeat and touching story filled with the promise of romance and a little more!
Like with every pair of twins, sisters Ravyn and Lucy have similarities and differences. Ravyn is a diehard fan of the Lady Vengeance anime about Yoriko’s quest to avenge her slain boyfriend. Cheerleader Lucy, on the other hand, has only a passing interest in the show but both sisters are upset at Yoriko’s destiny in the Lady Vengeance finale. Through some extraordinary means Yoriko is very confused to find herself transported from a fictional anime world into the real world…well, specifically Ravyn’s bedroom. Ravyn is stoked to see Yoriko, despite wielding a very sharp sword, standing right in front of her but things start going bad really fast and could’ve turned into a Lady Vengeance fight scene if not for Lucy bravely stepping up making for a very tense meet cute that blossoms into a romance in the following days and weeks.
Unless you’re an extreme die hard superhero fan you know “slice of life” is a genre alongside sci fi, mystery, adventure, and fantasy to name a few. While Slice Of Life is very much a slice of life story telling a genuinely sweet love story about opposites attracting Calamia, Falco, and Peri are doing more with their characters. They’re exploring the everyday narrative — the stories we tell ourselves and others tell us about them and us. Pardon the academic mention here for a moment but esteemed anthropologist Clifford Gertz career concentrated on this idea and he succinctly summed up culture as “[…] the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves” and he thought of everyday life as a “constellation of enshrined ideas” mutually agreed upon by people and societies to make sense of the world. Please don’t fret over the academic mention. The approach taken by the creators is humorous, playful, and thoughtful. Take Yoriko for example. She was literally a sword wielding anime character “slicing” her way through life as she knew it until she’s finds herself plopped into the middle of Lucy and Ravyn’s home. Now she’s figuring out what her life can be and enjoying even the small moments that are often taken by granted in our own busy lives. The dynamic between Ravyn and Yoriko offers interesting commentary on how people can make deep connections with fictional characters. Ravyn is giddy to have Yoriko around even if some time has passed since Yoriko’s arrival and Ravyn sometimes still thinks of her as only Lady Vengeance. Lucy and Dante who have been best friends since pre-K. With this relationship the creators show how honesty and empathy can make such a significant impact on others when we fight through our fears.
Now the question is will Lucy find enough courage to confess her feelings for Yoriko?
Peri’s contour line art has an air of openness and the characters are brought to life with animated expressiveness. A straightforward approach to coloring that alternates from vibrant hues to darker tones as the scene dictates complements her line work making a perfect match with the script.
The Slice Of Life Kickstarter begins today! Tiers for Slice of Life range from a physical and digital copy of the book, a rare Kickstarter exclusive foil cover variant, “Bloom Into You” homage variant, a wraparound variant cover from “Kiss It Goodbye’s” Ticcytx stickers, trading cards, a plush doll of Lady Vengeance, and more!