Tune Book 2: Still Life TP
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: November 2013
Price: $16.99
Creators: Derek Kirk Kim and Les McClaine
Format: 208 pgs., B&W, 8.5"x6", Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5964-3760-9
Age Rating: N/A
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
 
The first book in this series was basically a setup for the real plot, which begins here.
 
Andy, a talented artist but otherwise a bit of a slacker, signed a contract that he thought would provide him a large cash infusion for a year of his time.  The whole "alien zoo in another dimension" thing couldn't possibly be real, but the money offered was so good… what could go wrong?
 
In this volume, he finds out just what could go wrong, and how wrong that could be.  The aliens were real, but the contract was a scam, leaving him in serious trouble in the middle of a Twilight Zone plot.  As he finds out more about the aliens and their culture, the seriousness of his situation begins to sink in.  Then, to provide him with companionship, the aliens bring him a young woman who is almost the girl of his dreams… but from a world parallel to his, where their relationship has gone horribly wrong.
 
While the artwork may be a bit cartoony for some readers, it is very well suited to portraying the aliens.  As the story actually develops, so do the characters.
 
The book is aimed at teens and up, with mild sexual humor and partial nudity.
 
--Nick Smith: Library Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.