Loo's already been aboard the asteroid for a month as we pick up the story. Her only companions are two robots programmed to serve the station's long dead human crew, the ghost of one of the station's engineers, and her ever-present journal. The journal serves as a convenient flashback device wherein we are introduced to Loo's family, and the circumstances which led up to her current situation. It quickly becomes apparent that the journal is Loo's main touchstone to sanity in the face of her overwhelming isolation. The story continues as Loo fills up her days by matching wits with the station's main computer, which sees her as a disruptive threat as she goes about scrounging desperately needed parts from the station to rebuild her sister.
Sizer does a masterful job of thrusting us into the role of voyeur as he makes us privy to all the inner workings of his characters. At its core, Little White Mouse is a story about desperation and loneliness, and how we as human beings deal with those two personal demons. It is a tale filled with ingenuity, personal courage, and most of all hope. It's pretty much the entire human equation wrapped up in just over 200 pages of science fiction trappings. It's pure magic. Just read it, you'll love it.
The Little White Mouse Perfect Collections 1 and 2 are both currently available directly from Amazon.com, and every three months or so Previews solicits them again, so your local comic shop should be able to get them for you, too. It's well worth the hunt. The story is the showpiece, but these two books are also packed full of extra goodies. They have production sketches, fan art by other pros savvy enough to follow Sizer's work (including Geof Darrow), and Sizer's promo artwork, all in glorious black and white.
Find these graphic gems and buy them. Paul Sizer is a genius and his work is criminally overlooked. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - Kat Kan
I reviewed LWM for Voice of Youth Advocates, a professional journal for librarians and educators who work with teens. I've also reviewed Sizer's more recent book, Moped Army, for VOYA. Plus, Moped Army has been nominated for the brand spanking new Great Graphic Novels for Teens list sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association. I can tell you that lots of librarians love Paul Sizer and his books!
3 - -E
Congrats! This article has been selected as one of this week’s Editors’ Picks.