Best Wishes

In this dissatisfying romantic tale, Cal, at a dead end in his designer career, and Mary, uncomfortable with her romance with a pro football player, each toss a coin in a New York City fountain. Under the water, their coins clink together, and their wishes get mixed up: Mary becomes a star in the graphic design world and everyone seems to have a crush on Cal. Their paths inevitably cross once again. Lively and expressive black-and-white artwork by Chadwick (Concrete) buoys the story’s tone of light fantasy. His thick, bold black lines and shadows use organic outlines and silhouettes to effortlessly draw the eye across the page. The script, however, is full of angst, woeful characters, and stilted interior dialogue. Things aren’t helped by a subplot about one of Mary’s design projects, which veers helter-skelter between breezy magic and parody. The by-the-numbers plot brings down the fine artwork. (Nov.)