At times, the comic feels like Scott Pilgrim's dignified sister. Fitting, of course, as this is O'Malley's first work since the Scott Pilgrim series. It deals with similar themes-those themes being relationships and misremembered memories, with a healthy side order of magical realism. Still, this area is beginning to feel like his authorial comfort zone, and I would advise him to step out of it at least partially, if not completely, for his next endeavour.
Even with his comfort in the area (1000 pages doesn't come without some element of security), Seconds was accomplished and certainly a step up from Scott Pilgrim. O'Malley is left stranded without the crutches of character and continuity. This lead to the tighter narrative and more sophisticated ingredients of Seconds.
O'Malley's tendency towards fantasy was definitely reigned in for Seconds, and I would argue that it only improved from it. The house spirit had the hallmark of all good fantasy: it worked as a metaphor. I can definitely see Seconds as a classic of modern comics.
Rating: four and a half out of six stars
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