Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“My dad would do almost any stupid thing to prove there’s nobody better than him.”
This was one of the most fun quotes in “She’s Running on Fumes”, a six-part comic book series by Dennis Hopeless, Hilary Jenkins, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, which follows Jeannie, a young mother dealing with the messy and dangerous consequences of marrying an idiot prone to committing rash crimes.
Set in the 1980s, this comic book series unfolds a tale of desperation, resilience, and crisis management in the times of life-and-death scenarios, all narrated from the perspective of Jeannie’s child. The series, laden with a noir-like mood and a frenetic art style, immerses readers in the tumultuous world of Jeannie, who finds herself in the debt of some really bad people, because her reckless husband Jodie gets grievously injured in a car crash, losing 4 kilos of cocaine. That’s a lot of money lost. To make things worse, Jodie is immobile and behaves like he lost his sanity post the crash.
This first issue establishes the high-stakes premise, reminiscent of gritty crime dramas like “Griselda.” However, unlike the tales of crime lords carving out new empires, Jeannie’s plans for a fresh start are continuously thwarted by troubles she never sought. The artwork is a polarizing aspect of this series. It’s a vivid, chaotic mix of scratchy lines and bold colors, which looks like the artist used a combination of crayons, sketch pens, and watercolors. I didn’t really enjoy the artwork, even though it complements the unpredictable life Jeannie leads.
Issues #2 to #4 delve deeper into Jeannie’s reluctant plunge into the criminal underworld. Choosing to embrace a life of crime to pay off her debts, she begins working for a chop shop. These chapters portray Jeannie’s relentless hustle, and the story takes several twists and turns, including a surprising discovery that could potentially resolve her financial woes. Yet, the narrative also highlights her frustrating attachment to Jodie, who, despite his recovery from the accident, continues to be a liability. There are a bunch of different characters who make their way through the comics, but none of the side-characters are memorable.
The narration stands out best in the final issue, with Jeannie’s child questioning their mother’s choices and providing a candid, often critical, view of their father. As a reader, you’ll also find yourself frustrated over why Jeannie constantly puts up with Jodie’s unbearable antics. Jodie is the kind of guy only teenagers would find attractive—the “bad boy” sort—whose rash/cool shenanigans eventually become tiresome. But of course, Jeannie is shown to have met Jodie as a teen who didn’t know any better, and Dennis Hopeless does a solid job of displaying how people become trapped in bad marriages.
The series concludes with a somewhat idealistic resolution in Issue #6, giving Jeannie the closure she desperately needs. Throughout, Dennis Hopeless effectively portrays Jeannie as a resourceful yet beleaguered protagonist, while Hilary Jenkins’ and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s art captures the noir-like essence of her struggles.
Overall, “She’s Running on Fumes” is a decent one-time read.
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