During our time in Detroit, my fiancee and her parents won some gift cards to local shops, including a favorite of mine, a comic-book store called Vault of Midnight. In the time since then, our gift cards have been refilling themselves on their own. We just go with it and use the money, because who’s gonna turn down free money? I’ve now gotten at least a couple things from Vault of Midnight for free, with the latest being Everyone Is Tulip, purchased for me by my fiancee on her trip back to see friends up there. Having gotten it for free, I feel like I’m probably gonna go easier on it than I would otherwise, so please keep that in mind.
Everyone Is Tulip is a graphic novel about an aspiring actress named Becca who sees in the “Everyone Is Tulip” project her big break. But, naturally, fame and the role itself come with some rather big caveats, which become the focus of the story. Can Becca weather the storm? How far will she go in her pursuits? These are questions we see Baker toy with, and make some worthwhile commentary on, yet it winds up being one of those stories that just… ends. No wrap up before he sends you off, only an abrupt ending. If I hadn’t known otherwise, I would’ve anticipated it being the first in a series with how it cuts the reader off mid story. If that was intentional on Baker’s part, to make it a slice of life that leaves you wanting more and mulling things over after the fact, it doesn’t quite work for me as it more leaves me frustrated than anything.
It does enough prior to that ending, though, that I’m willing to forgive it for that final misstep and focus more on the good. We see how the industry can both lift people up, as well as alienate and tear them down. We see how somebody will sacrifice their own identity for that illusive hit of the drug that is fame. We see how others will try to ride side-car on somebody else’s rocket to the top if they can. I won’t lie and say these are especially new observations, or that Baker delves into them more skillfully than the rest, but they’re still worthy topics of conversation, things it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of. If you want a decent look at what draws people to fame, what they’ll do to attain it, and what the aftermath is, Everyone Is Tulip can be that for you. Just don’t expect anything earth shattering, and be ready for an unsatisfying conclusion.
