Timing/Luck by Gerry Duggan

subtitled Two Decades Of Photos From Comic Books & Hollywood.

So I’ve been a comic book fan since the mid 1980s but darned if I can think of a single Gerry Duggan comic that I’ve read. This is not meant to be an insult, especially since my devotion to mainstream Marvel/DC Comics faded soon after the turn of the 21st century (I hated House Of M waaaaay before the dire ending of WandaVision, lol.) As such, I’ve definitely missed out on Mr Duggan’s work in comics, tho my on-going affection for the field meant that I definitely wanted to pick up this intriguing stand-alone book once I saw that terrific cover.

Timing/Luck is an excellent title for a memoir, even if the collection is less autobiographical than (literal) snapshots from the author’s adult life as a writer for both television and comics. The book isn’t big on details, tbh, so it often feels like reading someone’s quite personal photojournal. Luckily, that someone is both interesting (especially if you’re interested in comics, celebrities and geek culture in general) and talented with a camera. While Mr Duggan is unlikely to win a Pulitzer, he does have a terrific eye for a shot, and is generous with sharing his point of view with readers.

I do wish there was a bit more of a narrative here, tho. Sometimes, it feels like Mr Duggan assumes readers are already familiar with the minutiae of his career, from the retreats he goes on, to the awards ceremonies he attends. I get that he wanted this book to be more about his photography than his writing, but I spent quite a bit more time guessing at the circumstances of what he’s up to in the photos than I would have preferred.

The exceptions for this happen when talking about his visit to Tokyo and, more poignantly, while taking pictures during the pandemic lockdowns, particularly when volunteering to help with vaccinations. I also appreciated his depictions of Los Angeles over the years. The book ends in 2022, and makes for a fascinating document of creative life in the first two decades or so of this century. I hope he does publish another book of his photography, but includes a little more of his writing with it as well.

Timing/Luck by Gerry Duggan was published December 17 2024 by Image Comics and is available from all good booksellers, including