Sunstone vol. 8

We all knew it was coming, creator Stjepan Sejic told us as much in the afterword to the previous volume, but this installment of the “Mercy” arc of the series sees the end of both of the relationships it’s been spotlighting up to this point.  Not at first, though, as BDSM enthusiasts Alan and Ally find the place they need to start really exploring their kinks, and Anne and Laura’s relationship issues come off like typical couple’s troubles.  At first.  As the volume goes on, one couple will find out that there can be too much of a good thing while the other will discover deep-seated issues that promise to end their relationship in a way that won’t end well for either of them.

That these relationships end isn’t a spoiler for the series as anyone who’s been reading “Sunstone” up to this point knew that this was going to happen.  That’s been the biggest issue with the current arc, yet it doesn’t turn out to be a dealbreaker here.  Sejic does a really good job of showing that it wasn’t just one thing that led to the end of these relationships, as things cruise along nicely enough for each of them initially.  It isn’t until a lot of little issues start piling up that the big ones rear their head and things go bad.  This may sound depressing, but it feels like a genuine representation of a relationships(s) and more engaging as a result.

It also helps that Sejic is a hell of an artist when it comes to illustrating the real-life qualities of these relationships, and jazzing them up with some visual style – as is the case with Anne’s internal shrine to Laura – when necessary.  I also want to point out that he’s dealing with a much smaller array of characters and subplots compared to “Fine Print” and this volume of “Sunstone” is all the better for it as he’s able to dig deeper into the cast and their issues here.  Though I am concerned that we’re only a third of the way through the “Mercy” arc, what’s here is still quite good and enough to make that seem more like a promise than a threat.

For now, at least.  Because that’s still six more volumes to go!