Patience

Patience and Jack are happily married and expecting a baby. But both have secrets—she has a dysfunctional past they haven't discussed, and he's not the office worker he claims. Then Patience turns up dead, apparently murdered by a former boyfriend. Devastated, Jack wonders if he can do anything now for his wife and child. And years later when he happens on someone with a time-travel device, he does do something. The award-winning Clowes (Mister Wonderful) sets his cast of unsophisticated characters into a high-tech premise but keeps the focus on the people rather than the science. Indeed, the contrast among the characters, their deep and universal emotions, and the sf trappings is jarring. Clowes's stolid, almost frozen drawing style captures a humanity caught in its unmet needs, powerless to understand or find satisfaction. The full coloring recalls classic superhero comics, edging over into psychedelic hues for futuristic sections.