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A review by mpho3
Finder, Vol. 09: Voice by Carla Speed McNeil
4.0
Any volume of Finder is easier to read then it is to describe. Shaenon Garrity characterized the series in The Comics Journal, as being 'simultaneously straightforward and labyrinthine, genre-based and uncategorizable. It’s solid sci-fi of the kind they were making in the 1970s, Ursula Le Guin/Vonda McIntyre type stuff that’s all about anthropology and world-building and a little bit of the old feminism. McNeil calls it ‘aboriginal science fiction'.’’ Truthfully, reading Finder is more fun than reading about it. Nonetheless, there are some things that should said about it.
For starters, "seek and ye shall find" is the fitting epitaph McNeil chose for this volume, which contextually fits in with the others or can stand alone. It harkens back a little bit to [b:Finder: Sin-Eater], where Jaeger’s relationship to the Grosvenor family is most clearly depicted. Voice revolves around Rachel Grosvenor’s quest to formally join her mother’s tribal clan, the Llaveracs. To do so, she must participate in the clan’s Conformation pageant to be judged for beauty and conformity to the purity of the clan’s standards for androgynous presentation. At the start of the book, the pageant is already underway, but Rachel and her sister Marcie get mugged on the way home from the first night of the competition, and Rachel loses the heirloom ring she inherited from her mother. Unfortunately the ring serves as her passport into the competition. She can’t participate without it, and so begins her quest to find the ring and baring that, to find the Finder (Jaeger) who could likely find the ring. However, it quickly becomes obvious that this particular Finder might not want to be found, and Rachel may just have to fare for herself.
Being of mixed clan heritage, Rachel feels pressured to succeed because doing so can make all the difference for her and her siblings who’ve had a hard time fitting into either of their parent’s tribes (though frankly neither Lynne nor Marcie share their older sister's aspirations). Therefore, it’s ironic that her quest to join high society takes Rachel to the depths of Anvard, the city-state where the story is set. Anvard is a rich mix of clans (all as different as apples and oranges), gangs, traditions, and technology. Part of the city remains in complete darkness all the time, literally as well as figuratively. Through her wanderings we’re immersed in a rich culture and a wide variety of settings within it, from desolate bus stops, seedy bars and illicit businesses to the glamor of fashionable nightclubs and the pageant itself. We’re treated to wide array of characters too, including a vampire cowboy (see McNeil’s endnotes), made men (think Sopranos), and pair of androgynous realtor queens (think Queer as Folk).
As always, McNeil’s artwork is gorgeous, reminding me more of [a:Jaime Hernandez|83339|Jaime Luis Hernandez|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]’s work than his brother [a:Gilberto|5763747|Gilbert Hernandez|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]’s; but all three have an amazing eye for detail (little things on the page that end up lending a whole lot of meaning) and such skill in depicting gestures and facial expressions that are unhampered by the consistency in the way they draw their characters. Rachel's transformation from pawn to victim to sidekick to femme fatale seems to lift right off the pages.
Finder: Voice is comprised of some memorable scenes. One of my favorites is a confrontation with her "sister" Lynne early on and another is her accidental involvement in a sacred ceremony of the nomadic, outsider Ascians. There is a lot of stuff packed into not so many pages, and it takes genuine talent to pull that off.
For starters, "seek and ye shall find" is the fitting epitaph McNeil chose for this volume, which contextually fits in with the others or can stand alone. It harkens back a little bit to [b:Finder: Sin-Eater], where Jaeger’s relationship to the Grosvenor family is most clearly depicted. Voice revolves around Rachel Grosvenor’s quest to formally join her mother’s tribal clan, the Llaveracs. To do so, she must participate in the clan’s Conformation pageant to be judged for beauty and conformity to the purity of the clan’s standards for androgynous presentation. At the start of the book, the pageant is already underway, but Rachel and her sister Marcie get mugged on the way home from the first night of the competition, and Rachel loses the heirloom ring she inherited from her mother. Unfortunately the ring serves as her passport into the competition. She can’t participate without it, and so begins her quest to find the ring and baring that, to find the Finder (Jaeger) who could likely find the ring. However, it quickly becomes obvious that this particular Finder might not want to be found, and Rachel may just have to fare for herself.
Being of mixed clan heritage, Rachel feels pressured to succeed because doing so can make all the difference for her and her siblings who’ve had a hard time fitting into either of their parent’s tribes (though frankly neither Lynne nor Marcie share their older sister's aspirations). Therefore, it’s ironic that her quest to join high society takes Rachel to the depths of Anvard, the city-state where the story is set. Anvard is a rich mix of clans (all as different as apples and oranges), gangs, traditions, and technology. Part of the city remains in complete darkness all the time, literally as well as figuratively. Through her wanderings we’re immersed in a rich culture and a wide variety of settings within it, from desolate bus stops, seedy bars and illicit businesses to the glamor of fashionable nightclubs and the pageant itself. We’re treated to wide array of characters too, including a vampire cowboy (see McNeil’s endnotes), made men (think Sopranos), and pair of androgynous realtor queens (think Queer as Folk).
As always, McNeil’s artwork is gorgeous, reminding me more of [a:Jaime Hernandez|83339|Jaime Luis Hernandez|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]’s work than his brother [a:Gilberto|5763747|Gilbert Hernandez|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]’s; but all three have an amazing eye for detail (little things on the page that end up lending a whole lot of meaning) and such skill in depicting gestures and facial expressions that are unhampered by the consistency in the way they draw their characters. Rachel's transformation from pawn to victim to sidekick to femme fatale seems to lift right off the pages.
Finder: Voice is comprised of some memorable scenes. One of my favorites is a confrontation with her "sister" Lynne early on and another is her accidental involvement in a sacred ceremony of the nomadic, outsider Ascians. There is a lot of stuff packed into not so many pages, and it takes genuine talent to pull that off.