Review: La Perdida
La PerdidaBy Jessica Abel ($19.95; Pantheon Books)Wow! I missed La Perdida in its serialized form, first hearing of it when the final issue hit the stands last year, but considering it took five years to finish, I'm guessing reading it collected in one impressive tome was for the best. Unlike decompressed superhero comics where "writing for the trade" often implies unnecessary padding, Jessica Abel crams heaping handfuls of story into each chapter of her gripping tale of self-discovery and self-deceit, but they are unquestionably parts of a larger whole; an excellent, completely engaging and essential whole that belongs on every…