Best Wishes GN
Publisher: Dark Horse
Story: Mike Richardson
Script, Art, Lettering: Paul Chadwick
Review by Anelise Farris 
Best Wishes is a story about dreams and destiny in the heart of New York City. When two strangers, Cal and Mary, toss coins into a fountain in Central Park, their lives are changed forever. Cal’s dreams of fame and Mary’s desire for true love become supernaturally entangled.
When Best Wishes begins, we are in Italy, observing an elderly couple reflecting on a magic fountain that is being relocated to Central Park. It seems that the “toss a coin, make a wish” lore literally works for this fountain and that some of the “old” magic can be found in the modern world after all. From here, we are transported to NYC to meet Cal—an aspiring artist who is desperate for his talent to be recognized—and Mary—the girlfriend of a professional athlete who is desperate for a committed relationship.
With both of these characters, there is a whole lot of emotion. Cal’s interior monologue reveals the tension and stress that he is under, and Mary’s isolation at crowded events depicts her feelings of neglect. And, when they find themselves in Central Park at the same moment, wishes and coins in hand, their dreams begin to be realized—just not in the way they expected. Art and love come together, and Mary, Cal, and Josh (Mary’s boyfriend) find themselves in an interesting relationship of sorts.
Best Wishes is entirely done in black and white, with sophisticated line-work and play with different patterns. The art is both realistic and surreal. The water starts to appear early on in the story through distorted raindrops—hinting at the supernatural water event that is to come. With the speech balloons, we see the classic play with different border shapes to communicate various tones. And, there is a wonderful use of panel variation and wide gutter space, all of which maximizes the storytelling to its fullest potential.
Verdict: Buy it! Best Wishes has the aura of a classic graphic novel but with a modern spin. This story of fate and self-realization will appeal to readers who enjoy “slice-of-life” stories that have a bit of magic sprinkled throughout. Best Wishes will be available November 8, 2017.
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