Finally for this week, Mnemovore, a title that really gets on my nerves because I have to stop and think how to spell it every time I type it.  Actually, this being a Vertigo book, I half expected it to feature a book called the Necromnemonicon, featuring Satanic tips on how to remember the order of the planets.

Anyway, it's a six-issue miniseries co-written by Hans Rodionoff and Ray Fawkes.  Neither name means anything to me, to be quite honest, although at one point Rodionoff was meant to be writing Spawn 2, which isn't my idea of a recommendation.  Fortunately, the book's a lot better than that might suggest.

19-year-old snowboarder Kaley Markowic ends up with amnesia after a head injury.  (No, really, stick with it.)  The issue sets us up for a disease-of-the-week drama about Kaley dealing with a life she no longer really remembers.  And then, about halfway through the issue, it turns out that boyfriend Scott has problems with his own memories.  There's a thingie that eats them.  This is why he can never remember where the coffee is.

Obviously, this is the sort of idea that could easily end up being very silly indeed if handled wrongly.  But it's pitched correctly - it's solidly established as a normal, grounded story by the time that the one unreal element crops up.  And since that element is immediately tied to something everyone can relate to - inexplicable memory gaps about trivia - it does work.

It's not a million miles away from the sort of stories that Mike Huddleston has illustrated over at Oni, such as Deep Sleeper.  This is much more down to earth, though.  It's a story where quirks of the real world are explained by bizarre conceits.  The art keeps up a nicely claustrophobic tone which makes the occasional flashbacks to Kaley's snowboarding stand out all the more as a break from the pressure.  Which also means that her career serves a genuine function beyond just gratuitous hip.

The big theme here is the importance of our memories.  If we're formed by our experiences, then do we lose our identity when we lose our memories?  Kaley's grandmother is wheeled out to argue that we don't, since she's still got her personality even if her memory is riddled with holes.  It's not entirely comforting.

An interesting premise and a strong start.

Rating: A

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