Review: ‘Getting It Together’ #2 Is The Modern Day Sitcom We All Need

Sam and Lauren broke up. It was rough. They fought. Now they’re trying to be friends, but is that even possible? Meanwhile, Jack (Sam’s best friend and Lauren’s brother) is still in the middle between them, although he’s having some dating adventures of his own. If you thought Getting It Together #1 had a lot of drama, just wait until you see what the second chapter has in store.

Emotions run so so very high in Getting It Together. While this can be a little dramatic at times, it works to push the story forward by leaps and bounds. Although we’re only two issues into this series, it feels like we’ve been with these characters for years. Writers Sina Grace and Omar Spahi cover so much ground both in plot and in character development. We dig deep into all the personalities involved and I’m loving every minute of it.

With so much raw emotion at play, some questionable decisions are made. Sometimes this is like watching a car crash. You can see this coming and you know it’s going to blow up, but you can’t turn away. You steer into the skid.

What’s most interesting with all these relationship conflicts is that no one is really right. Everyone is being at least a little selfish and inconsiderate. The characters are flawed, however that’s also part of what makes them so interesting. A great example of this is Sam’s reaction to Lauren’s news about a label showing interest in her band. He should be happy for her, but since she cheated on him with her bandmate, it clouds that joy. Instead of reacting with smiles, he kind of shrugs.

Jenny D. Fine’s artwork is a little loose. The basic forms are there, but they’re light on detail. This style works for the story as the focus isn’t on the intricate linework of the local coffee shop so much as the people themselves. Fine’s characters emote. They show how they feel in every single panel. That is what shines through here.

Fine works to establish the mood in each scene through some great camera angles. This is key since most of Getting It Together involves people standing around and talking. Fine keeps things interesting and most importantly, moving with a dynamic layout.

Letterer Sean Konot guides us well with some great dialogue work, adding some additional context where needed. There’s a nice sequence where Lauren mutters something to herself that’s shown in a smaller font. It’s an important piece and it conveys the right tone.

Colorist Mx. Stuble works hand in hand with this. That scene with Sam and Lauren I mentioned before? It starts out in a warm and welcoming yellow, then the moment Sam reacts poorly, the palette shifts to sad blues. Later on, when Sam is drowning his sorrows at a local bar, everything appears grey around him, like he’s numb.

Getting It Together is the modern day sitcom we all need. It’s fun and packed with so much juicy drama. The characters are brash and assertive, yet so incredibly relatable. It’s just great.

Getting It Together #2 from Image Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.