Six of Us is about a popular TV sitcom and the dark, tumultuous story of the actors who made it. The sitcom itself is fictional, created for the world of the comic, but it’s obvious practically from page 1 that it’s based on a real show. Just from the title, you probably already have an idea which one.
If you’re not sure, the descriptions of the characters helps make things clearer, particularly as we’re told about a scene where each of them talks about what kind of funeral they want. “Alan wants his body donated to science. Liam wants his ex-girlfriends to attend… Melody claims to be immortal.”
Then, in case there’s any doubt at all, we’re treated to a rendition of the show’s theme song, and yeah, it’s an alternate-universe-version of the Friends theme. Instead of a couch and a fountain, it’s a park bench and a statue, and instead of “I’ll be there for you,” it’s “I’ve got your back,” but it’s very clear what the inspiration for this comic is.
We open on a funeral for one of the actors, who died tragically and unexpectedly: Timothy McQueen, who played Taylor, “the fun one.” It’s an apparent suicide, with a note and everything, but the note doesn’t actually seem to explain anything, and no one is sure what really happened or why.
The story skips around in time a bit, from past to present, showing us the six actors’ humble beginnings as fresh-faced twenty-somethings just before their pilot airs, their interactions with each other as the show goes on, and the events just before and just after McQueen’s death.
Tim McQueen also serves as our posthumous narrator, a clear homage to Sunset Blvd.—particularly since his body was found in a swimming pool. In fact, looking it up, it seems Matthew Perry’s body was found in a Jacuzzi, which makes me wonder if that fact was the inspiration for this story.
Not that the characters in the comic are all exact analogues of their real-life counterparts. The inspiration is clear, but it’s still an original story, and the characters have their own lives and paths—rather darker ones, it would seem.
It’s a compelling story with some intriguing twists and turns. Clearly, there are a lot more secrets to uncover, and I look forward to exploring them. What really makes it work, though, is the tone and the atmosphere of the storytelling. I have to say, thus far, I’m fairly on board with the motif of “Hollywood sitcom with noir undertones.” If you like stories about the seedy underbelly that lurks just beneath the glitz and glamour of the movie/TV star lifestyle, then you’ll probably enjoy Six of Us.
Creative Team: Tom King (script), Gabriel Hernández Walta (art), Jordie Bellaire (colors), Clayton Cowles (letters)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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