The New York Four TPB Review

Written by: Brian Wood

Art by: Ryan Kelly

Publisher: Dark Horse

The New York Four, and this collection that houses the entire series, is a wonderful series that was originally part of a line of YA comics published by DC Comics. Detailing the lives of four girls attending NYU, it details all of the hopes, dreams, and drama that make up their lives. Rather than fall prey to tired tropes of teenagers and young women, Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly create a realistic cast of characters set against an authentic New York backdrop that is almost certain to gain new fans.

By far the best thing going for the series is the characters. Brian Wood crafted highly unique and realistic characters that more or less create the story themselves. I find that YA things are only as strong as the characters within them and The New York Four presents some of the best. Ryan Kelly’s artwork also does a fantastic job of capturing the very essence of each character, as well as the various spots around New York, and it turns into such a vibrant piece of work that I found myself unable to stop reading.

The New York Four is a fairly simple story in and of itself. Basically, 4 freshmen at NYU decide to get an apartment together after realizing they share some classes together and that that’s enough grounds for starting a friendship as anything else. And the rest of the comic is about their lives, both in regards to their friendship and their own personal lives.

It was’t so much that the story itself was anything special. It runs the typical stories about love, heartbreak, family, and newfound freedoms (and fears) that tend to be found across YA novels but the characters breathe some refreshing air into them. Each character has their own tremendous strengths and enormous flaws, and the flaws are really what’s to love here. Main character Riley is a shy nerd who’d rather read books and text than interact with others. Lona is an overachiever who will stop at nothing for straight A’s and who loves photography. Ren is a boy crazy skateboarding chick from the West Coast. Merissa is a gorgeous girl who turns heads everywhere she goes, has multiple boyfriends, and also has a heart of gold. And while these are somewhat tired tropes, they’re presented in breathtakingly fresh ways that never seems like it wants to poke fun or ask for these characters to change. Rather, they can grow with their interests and learn to harness them.

New York is accurately depicted, and accurate described, for locals and people who have never been to the city

In fact, the way the comic handles its characters’ weaknesses is really what makes it worth reading and the dramas aren’t as groan-inducing as they’d be in other places. And that’s mostly due to how realistically it portrays them. Riley’s entire roller coaster of a story regarding her secret admirer was handled so well and portrayed so realistically that I felt for not only Riley, but for every other character involved. This comic is not here to give you some scandalous gossip. This comic does not exist to give you shining examples of youth. This comic does not exist to give you the dream life of being a young adult in New York. Rather, this comic exists to present some very realistic and detailed stories of all the pain and heartbreak we face.

I’d also just like to say that this is one of the best media representations of New York I’ve ever seen. Kelly’s depictions of various NY hotspots and landmarks are pretty much spot on and those familiar with the city will be delighted at all the places that show up. If you’re not a New Yorker? Don’t worry. There’s handy little blurbs about various places that help clue you in on certain landmarks, certain neighborhoods, and even the different types of locals.

The New York Four is more or less a great YA read that I feel will get a much larger audience now that it’s found all together in one spot. It feels more like an actual YA novel this way and it was pretty hard to put down once the plotlines really got going. I know a ton of people will overlook this simply for the fact that it’s more or less a story of 4 girls just dealing with life but I think that quite a few of you will be surprised and how quickly the The New York Four sucks you in. As far as I’m concerned, any story is only as good as its characters, and The New York Four has some of the most fully developed in comic history.