FEDOR [one-shot]
(35 pages) [8 x 10.5 format]
by: Patt Kelley
Publisher: Hic + Hoc Publications
Cover Price: $8.00
Fascinated by freaks? Intrigued by oddities? Appalled by aberrations? This book is for you!! I want to emphasize that I’m using these words as denotations (the actual meaning/definitions) not as negative connotations. Based on the true story of Fedor Jeftichew a.k.a. Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy, sideshow attraction and mainstay of P.T. Barnum’s circus.
http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/fedor-jefticheive-jo-jo-the-dog-faced-boy/
http://www.roussimoff.com/freaks_bios.htm
http://sideshowfreaks.net/2013/05/07/jo-jo-the-dog-faced-boy-fedor-jeftichew/
http://www.biography.com/people/pt-barnum-9199751
The auteur/artiste of this piece clearly states that he took creative licence in the portrayal of this individual presenting this tightly-knit tale as historical fiction.
I have decided to sub-divide the review based on the specific settings. Thus, I will label them as chapters on behalf of the creator 😉
1: Paris 1904 (4.5 pages)
A young woman and man embrace on a bridge above the river Seine. She was doubtful of recognizing him since some time has passed but his stance gave him away. The two go for coffee and the young man is thrilled that Helena met with him. She agrees and addresses him as Fedor.
Time was never on their side and obstacles always impeded them. The conversation leads them back to his apartment where they re-familiarize via body talk. She relishes at his fuzzy exterior. One last cliché is delivered: he lights up after the deed but hacks away since smoking is not his thing.
2: London 1884 (6.5 pages)
The circus is in town! Preeeeesenting Jo-Jo the Russian Dog-Faced Boy!! The ringmaster [P.T. Barnum] gives the crowd a detailed account of this unusual man’s origins. Fedor comes on stage and barks. The spectators are agape by his appearance.
Fedor spots Helena on the grounds after the show. He wants to see her sketch. It is his portrait. He compliments her work and asks to keep it. Introductions are made. Helena asks some questions to break the ice. Helena’s mom is waving furiously to catch her daughter’s attention but she tells Fedor to ignore her. Helena’s mom is a circus freak as well. She’s a bearded lady! She tells her hubbie Abe that she’s miffed at being ignored. Abe snarkily tells his wife Zosia that their daughter isn’t embarrassed by their appearance but by their personality. Which child wants his/her parents to meddle with friends?
Helena tells Fedor that her family is the newest act. She turned out oddly normal. Genetics are fascinating! She sarcastically states her parents’ disappointment in not having inherited any special traits. Her talent is to draw but no money will come her way for that. Fedor is captivated by her beauty. He’s especially grateful since she doesn’t find him the least repulsive. A trio of bigoted bullies interrupt their alone time. The leader of the pack tells Fedor he has no place in society and wants to shave him. Helena saves the day! She whacks two of the three with a log. They run off, hide behind a bush, and liplock.
3: 1904 (4 pages)
Back to present day. Helena is flabbergasted by Fedor’s non-hirsute face. She makes an astute analogy. She finds him incomplete.
Fedor is looking over Helena’s sketches. He is fascinated by one of the circus attractions: Zasha the Circassian. Fedor inquires over a geek – Victor Terrible. He was a dentist wronged by his wife. He joined the circus and began eating live mice and biting off chickens’ heads. NSFW! Rated R! Ozzy Osbourne most likely copied this guy’s schtick.
Meta-context: Helena explains the intimacy of the drawing process. Revelations are made about people when they are illustrated. Helena states that before her mother passed away, she decided to remove her beard three years prior. Helena was so used to seeing it that she couldn’t process the opposite effect. The unfamiliarity is what unsettled her, not the outward appearance. Extensive knowledge of one person is affected when even the most microscopic change occurs.
4: 1887 London (5.5 pages)
Fedor and Helena reunite after three years. She meets him at the docks. Helena states that she is recently arrived from France with her boyfriend Marcil. Fedor is crushed. Helena wanted to come clean sooner but his passionate, intense letters made it extremely difficult. He naïvely expected her to wait for him and forever be his. He sees the folly. She gives him her parents’ regards. They always saw him as a son and brag of having a personal connection to him. Time to catch up. Fedor has some other prospects in the U.S. but he needs a change of scene and would rather resettle in Europe. Helena states that she now exhibits her art on the road thanks to her beau who is the circus’ new tattooed man. She was inspired by him and has tattoos adorned over her entire body. The tables have turned. Fedor is in awe but he is appreciative of her new aesthetic. She is about to speak when he plants one on her. They head back to the hotel. The two scare the bejesus out of Marcil. He tries to be a good host but ends up being obnoxious. Fedor resents how Helena is with him. Fedor is about to head out when Helena catches him. He points out the serious stupidity in reacquainting with her. He says some cruel things: mostly not wanting to ever see her again and detesting her horrid tattoos. Tears stream down Helena’s face.
Page 18 has 18 panels – this is when Marcil meets Fedor.
5: 1904 (2.5 pages)
Obviously Fedor and Helena never parted ways forever. He begins his transformation into a ‘passable’ human. He views her as she’s bathing and introspects on spending forever with her. He wonders whether his affection for her is physical or philosophical.
While out getting tea, Helena comes across some shocking event in the newspaper. She runs off distraught. She throws some objects at the shopkeeper.
6: 1895 Poland (6 pages)
Helena’s mother is dying. The meds have her oblivious to Helena’s visit. Her father tries to cook, eel of all things, but it is a failed experiment. The two laugh it off. Sadly, Helena gets new of her mother’s death. Fedor stops in a deli inquiring Helena’s parents’ address. The owners are rudely staring him down and ignoring his need for directions. Fedor finds the home and hugs his sweet Helena. She informs him of her mother’s wishes to have her ashes spread in Normady. She wants him to tag along. As the couple sit on the train waiting to depart, a man tries to flag them down. A server knocks on the compartment door. He is shocked by Fedor’s appearance and drops the tray of food. Helena ignores it. She’s sketching Fedor and states how much each of them have change in the eight years that have passed. He agrees with her observation. She is a bit defensive and wants him to elaborate. He asks her to join him for a month while he travels. She agrees. They arrive at their destination and spread her mother’s remains.
Page 29 has 20 panels – the last sequence where they decide to stick together for a month.
7: 1904 (1.25 pages)
Fedor fakes his own death. He pulls it off successfully, so much so that a funeral is held. In reality, he tells Helena he killed his other persona Jo-Jo. He literally shed that part of him. She worries that he sacrificed too much. He asserts that she is the only relevant thing in his life. [My confusion has been for naught!] – Fedor remarks that Helena never got the tea. She mentions the newspaper clipping. She threw coins at the shopkeeper due to her distress.
8: Germany 1902 (4.75 pages)
One last time into the past. Two years prior, Fedor spots Helena on the street. Coincidences are few and far between! These two have a giant magnet that keeps joining them!! He asks her to join him in his carriage. Helena’s father is gone as well. Helena sent a few letters to Fedor but given his nomadic lifestyle they never came his way. She is now performing cabaret and is surprisingly single. Fedor is off to Russia. He wants a dinner date but she has to perform. Fedor comes clean once and for all. He thinks of her 24/7/365. Helena bursts out in tears. The time apart and the distances between them have taken their toll on her. His letters to her were always so heartfelt and genuine. That makes it all the harder for her since they spend one week out of fifty-two if they have the good fortune. Helena rightly refuses to carry on in this manner. She accuses him of being more concerned with fitting in than committing to her. That’s what she wants! The C word!! She bolts from the carriage.
9: 1904 (1.25 pages)
Helena and Fedor are on a leisurely stroll. A boy asks them about his missing dog. This leads to Helena asking her boo whether their own children will come to be. He jokes about how the child might look, throwing a dig at Helena’s tattoos. Fedor doesn’t make any promises but mentions that it is possible in the near future. At a café, Helena tells the garçon that it is Fedor’s birthday. The two plan their lives from this point forward: beach house, dog, etc. Helena is content that they are now the most ordinary inconspicuous people on the planet just sipping on fancy coffee in Paris.
I decided to immediately insert the links regarding Fedor at the very beginning before writing my own spiel. Browse at your own pace. This love story spans two decades. It purposely has a happy ending. The real deal behind Fedor did not have a rosy outcome. The man behind the hairy face died alone and childless. True love never came his way. Enough darkness! Fedor and Helena cross borders [literally!], conquer space and time, and more importantly overcome the star-crossed lovers motif. Their flaws, doubts, hurts, insecurities do not prevent them from remaining together. Communication is key in the end result. The acknowledging of their hardcore feelings for each other is what allows them to solidify the bond and dispel any silly notions especially in an era when the world was not fully explored.
Many lessons are imparted from this allegory. Beauty is skin deep, n’est-ce pas? Interestingly enough, they both go about the wrong way in fitting in. Helena chooses to appear more freakish by having her body replete with tattoos whereas Fedor no longer wants to be a walking talking canine/lupine. Fedor simply wants an end to the loneliness. Helena wants happiness. Plain and simple. Humans overcomplicate every aspect of their lives. It prevents most of us from ever achieving true fulfillment. We strive for riches, elevation of status, amassing friends and followers. Many of us never truly look within and accept our true selves. This leads to a lifetime of self-imposed disappointment.
Patt Kelley has his own website where his extensive body of work as well as everything under the sun is found there. I’m thankful that he mentioned his technique. This saves me a lot of trouble in trying to pass off being an expert on critiquing art. LOL. The art is sepia-toned all the way through and evokes Bob’s Burgers with the bean-shaped bodies and extra-elongated arms.
The number of panels is astounding. One has to pay close attention to every single box to get a complete view. I already mentioned which pages have the most squares. The two things that stand out the most for me are Zosia’s spirit leaving the household as well as Fedor and Helena squeezed together in the water after Zosia’s ashes are released. The lettering is quite large for a standard comic. It is perfect in its arches, curves, and loops.
There is no “mature readers” label but the context presented isn’t that scandalous nor shocking. These are adults in the literal sense therefore adult themes have to be addressed. It is uncanny how Fedor was able to reconfigure himself as a ‘normal’ man. He looks almost like Raggedy Andy in the last two pages as he and Helena live happily ever after.
http://www.pattkelley.com/comics.html
Hic + Hoc Publications has its own library of unusual œuvres. Another more recent book that I spotted on the shelves a few weeks ago was CHEER UP.
The cover was done by combining sculpture with photography. Wicked awesome! Shades of Sally from The NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS come to mind when I see Helena.
Once again, I pat myself on the back for trying something truly off the racks in the cluttered world of comic books. Mr. Kelley tugged on my heartstrings with this touching tribute to a real-life citizen of Planet Earth. The photo of Fedor rang a bell and allowed me to retrieve memories of having seen it in my elementary school days when Ripley’s Believe It or Not! books were all the rage.
Acknowledging Fedor’s age at the time of his departure from this world, I give this book 31.5 out of 35 [90%].
