Titan Comics are back once again with another instalment of their always dramatic, and often mysterious, comic series based on the Life is Strange universe. Life is Strange Issue #6 is a continuation of the ‘Waves’ story arc, which features the main protagonist Max Caulfield alongside best friend Chloe as she deals with all manner of predicaments caused by her prior time-bending actions. So what has the latest issue got in store for us this time and, more importantly, is it worth a read?
Previously, in Issue #5, we joined a timeline in which Max had been settled in Santa Monica for around two years, sharing a place with Chloe and Rachel, who are now a couple. The comic essentially introduced us to their everyday lives and how they tried to make ends meets. Nothing too exciting happened for the most part, but there was still an air of mystery to proceedings due to the presence of a new character. This character, a young chap, seemed to go unnoticed by everyone except for Max and right at the climax, it appeared he may possess some kind of special ability.
Life is Strange Issue #6 forgets about that initially though, instead focusing on the ladies as they go about another ordinary day. Chloe is finishing off her first commissioned sculpture, while Rachel is visiting the dentist in a bid to shine brighter for her audiences – after all, she’s a budding video blogger and wannabe actress. The sad thing is that Max, who’s tagging along with Rachel, seems a bit lost and it’s clear that she doesn’t feel comfortable with the current situation.
You see, Max really opened up to Chloe about her feelings in another timeline, whilst in this one she’s ended up as a third wheel. It’s tough to witness that internal struggle as a reader, because it’s obvious that there isn’t a chance of a resolution for her without explaining to Chloe about all of the harrowing occurrences leading up to this so-called ‘fresh start’, and potentially causing a rift in Chloe’s relationship with Rachel. You have to wonder how this love-triangle is going to play out as the story advances, but at the moment Max has a hard enough time trying, and failing, to explain about the mysterious character to her house-mates; to the point where she loses her cool and gets rather angry.
A chance encounter with this young man whilst shopping with Rachel at least brought her some peace of mind that she’s not imagining things. Who he is and why he keeps randomly appearing and disappearing at all are the questions that need to be answered; for our sake as well as Max’s. Unfortunately, he doesn’t take too kindly to being approached and causes a bit of a kafuffle, so those answers are yet to come. What we do know is that whatever possible gift he has, he doesn’t see it as a positive and in fact uses it to steal stuff.
To add even more intrigue to the latter part of the comic, a selection of characters we’ve seen before make a return and it’s as though fate was always going to bring them into Max’s life, no matter which timeline she’s in. Whether or not they’ll be a worthwhile inclusion into the series, it really depends on the focus for building up these characters this time around.
Artistically, there’s not a lot to complain about, with a decent variety of locations drawn to a more than acceptable standard, whilst the characters are all kitted out in suitably designed attires that look natural to their taste. The dentist setting is a highlight though, and despite only featuring across a few panels, the detail within the dental office is impressive; there are identifiable tools, furniture that you’d expect to find in such a place, and even pictures to fill the walls to avoid blandness.
All in all, Life is Strange Issue #6 still sees the comic series progressing a bit on the slow side, however the inner-struggles of Max reaching boiling point and uncovering more about the mysterious guy keeps the attention of the reader from waning. On the plus side, for those desperate for answers, the cliff-hanger ending here insinuates that most of what we desire to know is about to unfold in the next issue, so there’s your reason to come back for the next one.
