Flies On The Ceiling by Jaime Hernandez (No. 24)

Flies On The Ceiling (1988-1989)

by Jaime Hernandez

REVIEW BY RAY MESCALLADO:

(from The 100 Best Comics of the Century! in The Comics Journal #210, 1999)

Despite its lesbian/punk "Betty & Veronica" surface, the depth of Jaime Hernandez's Locas series was laid down from the very start of Love & Rockets: Hopey's rage, Maggie's insecurity, and the romantic Molotov cocktail when the two combined; Terry's jealousy and how it hid a profound sense of inadequacy; Daffy's... well, never mind Daffy. Most striking of all was Izzy Ortiz: we saw her as a present-day depressive punk bruja, only to be introduced in flashbacks to a more conventional, more stable Isabel. It took almost ten years for Jaime to tell us the story of Izzy's transformation, but it was worth it: Flies On The Ceiling is the best Locas short story from Love & Rockets and, I would argue, the best story Jaime has ever created, period.

Regular readers developed a feel for Izzy's personality over the years and seen her character given depth by her Cassandra-like role in The Death Of Speedy Ortiz. They also recognise the house from the cryptic "How To Kill A..." from Love & Rockets #1, as well as the potent visual markers of pre-Mexico Izzy. When her hair had grown long, we know that the change is complete, something significant has happened. When she tell us about the flies on the ceiling, references in past stories take on a whole new level of meaning. 

But this story functions just as well as a stand-alone fable, a tale of self-destruction. Isabel seeks to escape her past (including a divorce, an abortion and attempted suicide) and in Mexico unexpectedly finds a chance at redemption. When she finds out the devil has followed her, she runs yet again - to no avail. And when the Devil tells her, "It's not your sins but your guilt that allows me to come to you," the story takes a harrowing nightmarish turn. Jaime not only employs the ambitious narrative leaps that give his stories a distinctive economy and rhythm, for this story he creates a magical-realist symbology that resonates powerfully as psychological horror. The chiaroscuro clarity of his art makes the surreal extremes unnervingly accessible, allowing a seamless blend of dreams and memories and the unexplained. The ending is nuanced in its contradictions and confrontations: a conquering of fears, an acceptance of consequences, a loss of hope. The ultimate tragedy is writ clear in the last panel: that Izzy's fate, like all people's, isn't her burden alone.

FURTHER READING:

Jaime Hernandez at Fantagraphics Books