I can sniff out the potential SIP fans, those looking for something different, some character driven drama with fear and loss being the kryptonite and love being the hero. This book will always continue to draw new readers in.
First there is Francine, a nice but insecure girl who dreams of a perfect marriage and cannot quite let go of her Jerkass ex-boyfriend. Next there is Katchoo, her darker and edgier best friend who is madly in love with her. Finally there is David, a sensitive young man who is in love with Katchoo despite her constant (and harsh) rejections.Then there is the Mafia, who Katchoo used to work for. Some of them want her back, others just want her head.That is how Strangers In Paradisestarts. The series was published by Abstract Comics, creator Terry Moore's own company, between 1996 and 2007 and consists of over 90 issues. It is generally acknowledged as a Slice of Life classic, although the occasional vergings into crime drama were not quite as well received, and it is frequently hailed as the number one comic book to give to your girlfriend. What that means is a bit unclear, but it probably means something.Not to be confused with Stranger Than Paradise.
Strangers In Paradise contains examples of:
Aborted Arc: Frequent. Some loose ends are left loose forever, and some seemingly important insights and revelations are never mentioned again. The Time Skip moments ALL fall under this banner.
The Alcoholic: Recovering. Katchoo began attending AA meetings when she was eighteen. Now she is in something of an odd place; she drinks recreationally, but manages to avoid any severe over-indulgences...except for when things get out of hand.
American Dream: One of the driving plot points is that France really does want the dream. A husband (Preferably a firefighter, but she will settle for a lawyer or doctor), children, a place in the suburbs, she really wants it. This proves to be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in her growing relationship with Katchoo since, despite all that she and Katchoo could potentially have, they could never have that.
The Atoner: Katchoo and David, both of whom are hoping to make up for the mistakes of their youth.
Bad Boss: Darcy Parker was vicious and disliked by all of her staff.
Brawn Hilda: The Baker twins are tall, muscular and scarred from battle (And self-infliction) and aggressive enough to overpower any other character in the series. Unlike most examples of the trope they are not unattractive, but their long hair is their sole "girly" trait.
Butch Lesbian: Tambi Baker. Even as a fictional character she is tough and hard.
Butt Monkey: Freddie just can not catch a break. Of course, maybe if he did not set himself up for so many falls...
Character Development: The series defining characteristic as, without an overarching plot beyond day-to-day life, the progression of the characters is what drives the story.
Comically Missing the Point: Casey, the sweetest girl there is, had no idea that Katchoo was talking about joining the new iteration of the Big Six when she mentioned "going back to work." It was this display of naiveté that helped keep Katchoo out of the game and got her painting again, which was what Casey thought she meant in the first place.
Crossover: In Terry Moore's subsequent series Echo, Ivy Raven, an NSB agent who has gotten involved in the potentially world-shattering events of the story, begins to suspect that her superiors in Washington might not be as trustworthy as she had previously believed. The other characters ask if there is anybody she can go to for help, somebody outside the system who would nevertheless be able to give the important answers, and Ivy mentions that she might have somebody she can call. The next panel is apparently Katchoo getting a phone call. Tambi guest stars two issues later, #28, where she tracks down a former Parker Girl who stayed in her cover as a member of the US military after the operation collapsed.
Later on, Katchoo also impersonates Darcy, in order to confuse and distract Veronica and rescue Francine. Of course, it's not a long term impersonation, but it still qualifies.
Gambit Pileup: It would be faster to list all of the characters who weren't working under the auspice of some secret agenda at least once during the series.
Jerkass: Freddie really is a jackass son-of-a-bitch. Despite being given a fair amount of development throughout the series and at times even seeming sympathetic, he never stops being a jerk.
Kill and Replace: Yousaka Takahashi began to live the life of David Qin after he killed him in a pointless gang fight.
Lipstick Lesbian: Casey experimented in college and is more than open to a relationship in the present.
Literary Agent Hypothesis: In the (possible?) future, Katchoo and Francine's daughter is attempting to publish a story, based on their life, titled Strangers In Paradise.
Locked in a Room: Invoked. Casey, sweet devious Casey, figures out how to help Katchoo and Francine make up
Love Dodecahedron: Katchoo, David, and Francine are the constant objects of desire for every character in the series, including each other.
Pair the Spares: Tambi/Casey, which came way out of left field even with recent revelations.
Paranoia Fuel: In-universe. Katchoo's life is so full of spies and double crosses that by the end she's flatout asking people to their faces if they're setting her up. Couldn't help her preexisting trust issues.
Parental Neglect: Katchoo's step-father beat and raped her when she was a teenager, but her mother's refusal to take it seriously, even telling her to stop making up these vicious lies, caused just as much lasting damage to her psyche.
Polyamory: Katchoo, David and Casey, for a while, as they deal with troubling news and try to make each other happy until the end.
Psycho Lesbian: Darcy, who has the "psycho" part down pat.
Rape and Switch: Played straight...sort of. To the end of the story Katchoo never self-identifies as gay, but her experiences in her youth have made her permanently opposed to a relationship with men.
Re Write: Issue 43. A much older Katchoo and Francine have a daughter, an author, who is trying to publish a story based on their life. At the end of this little interlude it says "end of version one," and the same events are retold in a slightly different fashion. Fandom's reaction was... mixed.
Butch Lesbian / Lipstick Lesbian: Tambi and Casey, and eventually Katchoo and Francine if you are pretty loose with the definition of "Butch" and "Lipstick"
Wall of Text: SiP can be quite wordy, and Moore frequently abandons the graphic format altogether and just resorts to full-on proses passages for several pages. "Molly & Poo" is told almost entirely in prose, with only a few accompanying illustrations.
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