My Faith in Frankie

(Vertigo, 2004)
™ and ©2004 Mike Carey and Sonny Liew

Sporting a cute and inviting cover by Marc Hempel (Naked Brain), My Faith in Frankie is a quirkily told, though clearly written, little tale about a girl with her own personal god, meaning she never gets hurt, never loses a game, and always makes good grades. All is well until Frankie grows up a bit and finds herself attracted to boys, resulting in her god’s becoming a jealous god.

More invasive than an overprotective parent, the god spoils all of Frankie’s dates by giving her paramours nosebleeds, amnesia, and other romance-spoiling afflictions. Naturally, this upsets Frankie and, ironically, makes her appear (at least to outsiders) as something of a slut, since she always appears so desperate.

Though it could have been too silly or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, too sacrilegious, My Faith in Frankie will charm readers of all stripes with its cuteness, its likeability, and its cleverness. The subject of faith, though used as an object of humor, is actually handled with a degree of reverence—at least it’s obvious that writer Carey bemoans the secularization of society.

Speaking of Carey, he’s one heck of a writer. His character-enlightening flashback sequences are unobtrusive and smoothly intertwined, he employs cursing as an effective tool (as opposed to a mere gratuity), and his use of King James Bible-type language is hilarious, such as when a bully spouts, “Hey, Jerrycan, your mom doth reveal herself unto the heathen.” Perhaps the cleverest bit of all is the god’s reason for not going to the movies much any more.

First and foremost, My Faith in Frankie is meant to entertain, and it does so with irreverent reverence.

— Brett Weiss

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