Wapsi Square isn’t one of my regular reads. I’m not exactly sure why. It’s got an interesting enough story, and fun characters… but it just never quite clicked with me. Though considering it’s a M-F schedule, and I need more comics that update on Tuesdays and Thursdays, maybe I should give the comic another try.

However, there is one story arc in the comic that has drawn me in. This is the ongoing and growing relationship between Shelly and Heather. A darker subtext can be found in Shelly’s memories, and when these strange flashbacks begin, you’ll know it, what with the massive sideways scroll for the comic… and the strange shadowed panels with disturbing subtitled text.

The current dream-arc happened when a bowling ball fell on Shelly’s head. Before this point, she was struggling with her feelings about Heather, and perhaps with her own sexuality. In fact, the first nightmare sequence was literally that – a nightmare that woke Shelly from a sound slumber and sent her scrambling for the Porcelain Throne to kneel down before. And it was disturbing… a dream of a manic dark-haired girl (Shelly, no doubt) screaming “I won’t let you replace her!” as she attacked with scissors-as-bladed-weapon.

Indeed, the second nightmare sequence, shifts us from Shelly, concussed and lying on Heather’s lap to the shadow world again. The scissors are gone ’til the final panel… but we learn more, of how Shelly’s mother died… and that the Shelly hiding in the shadow world is afraid of reaching out, of letting someone else special into her life. She lashes out… a horrifying image of terror and rage… to something more, something… special, a place of being loved, of allowing someone into your heart again. And an image of a mother’s ghost… telling her daughter it’s okay to leave this dark place in her heart, to move on. It moves me to tears… and that’s hard to do.

I’ll definitely have to take time to read the rest of these archives. Because I’m most curious as to Heather and Shelly’s story… how they met, when Shelly realized just what she felt for Heather… when Heather realized what Shelly meant to her… that and more. And of Monica and Kevin and everyone else in this strange and amusing comic. Meantime, I definitely recommend jumping in at this time… the sheer imagery and skill in this comic makes it well worth reading.