Story and Art: Luana Vecchio
English Adaptation: Edward Caio
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 26th, 2023
Lovesick #7, the finale to the miniseries, concludes Domino and Jack’s story. Switching between flashbacks and the present, this issue delivers an emotional wallop. This miniseries has been one of the best books published in a long time, it never shies away from the darkest crevices of horror. It’s not for the timid and with this issue, we see the final chapter in Domino and Jack’s beautifully twisted relationship.
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The Story
In the extras for Lovesick #7, Luana Vecchio, writer and artist of the miniseries, says that the book has been about “human incompleteness and how this incompleteness makes us vulnerable”. And Lovesick drives that point home in the most heart-breaking and bittersweet way. I’m going to miss these extra sections Ms. Vecchio included with each issue, where she writes about her inspirations and thoughts while creating the books. She also included commentary on some of the pages. I wish more creators would do this with their books, it gives you great insight into their creative process. I’ve never been one to believe in classifications such as “beta males”, “alpha males” and “sigma males”, because I feel throughout life, every man shifts between the dominant type-A personality, the “beta” like follower, and if he’s very lucky, settles into being as comfortable by himself as he is with a crowd. But within the framework of Lovesick, these dilenations are necessary and amplified to a grotesque level that fits the story perfectly.
On the surface, Jack seems to be an “alpha male”. But is he really? He needs Domino on a much deeper level than Domino needs him. He’s a fraud, a man putting on the act of an “alpha male” but a slave to not only his obsession with Domino, but also a slave to his “business partner” Vic, a Jesus-style figure who manipulates him as easily as Jack manipulates Domino. Jack is a clown, but Domino is a truly powerful character. Her love for Jack didn’t start as love, it started as one last desperate cry for her parents to show one tiny scrap of interest and affection for her. But what she got was a parasitic, mutually abusive relationship with him that got her a hugely popular show on the Dark Web but never filled the gaping hole in her heart. What’s tragic is that as powerful as she is, she’s still irrevocably broken inside. The issue climaxes in grand guignol style in a cathedral, with Domino and Jack realizing their sexual and cannibalistic fantasies with Domino’s new “pets”. It’s gory, terrifying and sensual, and the inevitable finale to Jack and Domino’s relationship. Think the last 6 issues were insane? This issue tops those in every way, with a lovely bittersweet ending.
The Art
Ms. Vecchio’s art on Lovesick #7 is gorgeous from beginning to end. Domino is exquisitely drawn. She’s iconic with her Bettie Page-style body and heart-shaped eyepatch. It adds to the sadness of the story when she’s drawn in flashbacks looking like a perfect porcelain doll in her youth then switching to the present to see her grim face which always seems to be spotted with tears. The gore scenes are drawn vividly and look like excerpts from a Herschell Gordon Lewis film. In one scene, Jack and young Domino watch “Blood and Black Lace”, and though Mario Bava wasn’t as big on gore as Lucio Fulci or Herschell Gordon Lewis were, the way the pages are drawn feels like a Bava film, it has that same starkness and operatic feel.
Final Thoughts
Lovesick #7 delivers a satisfying (though heart-breaking) finale to the miniseries. This miniseries has never played by the rules and this issue is no exception. I’ll miss Domino, one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read, and I look forward to getting the collected miniseries so I can read it again in the future. Highly recommended.