Bin Fodder: Leave It To Chance – Part 1

There are certain comics that as a reader I can look back at and say, “this is something I’ve enjoyed since the moment I picked up the first issue”.  Leave it to Chance is one of those books.  It’s pure fun.  And along with Strangers in Paradise are the two books I will always associate with Homage Comics.

 

The first arc is short, only four issues, but it sets up the short thirteen-issue series really well.  Right away James Robinson sets the stage for what kind of universe these characters are going to inhabit.  It is a world where demons, pixies, shaman and magic not only exist but are prevalent.

 

 

 

Devil’s Echo, the town where the majority of the events take place, is protected by Lucas Falconer.  A Falconer has protected the town for generations.  And that’s where Chance comes in.  She’s a precocious little adventurer who has her heart set on following in her father’s footsteps.  But Lucas won’t allow it.

 

After the tragic death (which pre-dates the series) of his wife in a battle with a villain Lucas is even more protective of his daughter.  At least that’s how I read it.  Sure, Lucas’ actions and language may lead some to believe that he simply doesn’t believe a woman is capable of being the city’s protector.  However, I saw him as more of a protective father not willing to risk the only connection he has to the love of his life.

As the four issue first arc develops we find the city deep in the midst of a mayoral race where villains are coming into the fray from multiple angles; pitting one side against the other and working from the shadows.  At the heart of this first arc are the goblins that live in the city’s sewers.  In a normal setting goblins would be the villains but Devil’s Echo the goblins are portrayed in family forms merely trying to protect their young from the attacking topsiders who are set on their destruction.

 

The major villain in the story is hidden until the third issue where he bursts on the scene by pulling a toad god from an alternate dimension into Devil’s Echo’s bay.  What ensues is a somewhat (and it’s hard to think this in such a fantastic story) unbelievable turn of events which ends of resolving the unwanted god issue.

 

Robinson and company have a lot of fun with the characters.  In the end it’s a story about a town wrought with mystical creatures and a young girl who wants to protect the city, her friends, and even her father from the villainous characters that inhabit the burg.  They never take the story too seriously, ending every issue on a cliffhanger in one form or another.  More often than not it leaves Chance in the clutches of a creature or beast where she shouldn’t possibly be able to escape, but of course does as the next issue opens.

 

While I was doing some searches in regards to this book trying to gauge the level of knowledge about this series I found several instances where Leave it to Chance is listed on, “Comics for your girlfriend” lists.  I’d definitely agree with that idea, though I think of it more as a comic for kids than women.  Just because the main character is a girl doesn’t mean women would be interested in it.  I’d be more likely to suggest a black canary centric storyline in Green Arrow or JLA than a book like this.  But hey, that’s me.

Leave it to Chance crosses all borders of readership by being fun-loving and more than a little funny.  Check back next week as I continue my look at this short, but impactful comic!

 

For now,

 

This is your Bin Fodder Guru Tim Blacksmith signing off.

Playlist: Counting Crows – “Omaha”Kings of Leon – “McFearless”Live – “Rattlesnake”Less Than Jake – “City of Gainesville”The Distillers – “The Gallow is God”Third Eye Blind – “Anything”Motion City Soundtrack – “The Conversation”Shiny Toy Guns – “Don’t Cry Out”Owl City – “Hello Seattle”Jimmy Eat World – “Just Tonight…”A Perfect Circle – “Passive”Glasvegas – “Geraldine”

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