Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Island #1
Image Comics
Rios, Graham, DeConnick, Ludroe & Churchland
The "Island" is an anthology that comes in an oversized format (two centimeters taller and a centimeter wider than your normal sized modern comic) and packed with over 100 pages of material for eight bucks. As is the case with most anthologies you might like all the stories but each reader will probably be able to pick out at least one that they really enjoy. At the price point you run the risk of thinking, "well for that money I better like all the stories" and while that might be one angle to take, it isn't the only one. This comic at least provides three full-length comics, which is a departure from the general eight to ten page stories that anthologies usually serve up. I'm not sure the issue resonated much with my tastes but I am glad I at least gave the book a shot.
The DeConnick contribution is a five-page tribute to a friend that passed away recently and was far too young. The write-up is very touching and DeConnick really opens up her soul in parts of the story. The problem with this kind of tribute is that it is flanked on either side by two crazy comics stories. The placement of this was odd, but the content was touching.
The Rios offering is the opening chapter to a longer story presumably. The story is about three characters that are volunteering for a science experiment on their bodies. The story really only introduces the characters and doesn't hone in on any one in particular. The story is okay but the artwork is stellar. The entire story has a red shade to the background that really makes the line work pop. I enjoyed looking at this story but not so much reading it as I felt it was too incomplete.
Brandon Graham offers up a continuation to his Multiple Warheads story. Having not read the source material it took me several reads through this to understand Graham's unique storytelling technique and then to understand what he was trying to say. The story has the sticker shock of absurd looking art that is cartoon-ish, psychedelic and simply nothing that you are probably accustomed to. I wasn't able to determine if this style was meant to be a satire of something or not. Those that are familiar with Graham and his other works probably will feel right at home.
The last of the larger length stories was by Ludroe. This one was a skater story and I loved it. The book hit on all the right points when it comes to loneliness, courage and being a youth adrift. The artwork switched coloring in the backgrounds periodically to really help change the mood and I found the line style to be a perfect match to the coloring and story. This is a self-contained story and it was a great read.
The comic is rounded out with a short story by Churchland and another by Graham. The Graham one really lets the reader into his storytelling motives and it helps to frame up his process. The Churchland one is stunning and if you are familiar with her work on things like Elephantmen then you will love her couple of pages.
"Island" provides great value for your money. Over 100 pages of material for $8 is a great deal. The comic provides three full-length stories in it, two short stories and a tribute to a friend by DeConnick. Fans of the creators involved must pick this comic book up. Other readers may want to look under the covers to determine if the art styles match with their taste. If so, then they might find this to be a hidden treasure. I only found one of the stories to be something memorable but the entire comic is gorgeous to look at. Take a look at this one.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
