Paklis #1 review
Written and Drawn by Dustin Weaver
Review by Jason Kahler
<<we interrupt your regularly-scheduled Wonder Woman post to bring you this review of a new Image anthology>>
Paklis is the type of anthology book that doesn’t get published by the big comic book companies very often: experimental, requiring some work from its reader, and really good.
This issue features one complete story, and the first installments of stories that continue in subsequent issues. Each challenge reality and perception.
Weaver utilizes different storytelling and art techniques across the three stories. These shifts never seem forced or artificial. Two of the stories, “Sagittarius A*” and “Amnia Cycle,” are spacefaring tales. These first chapters are both complete and full of promise for the ongoing story.
“Mushroom Bodies” is an unnerving mind trip that plays with perception and identity and, well, cockroach love. I couldn’t help but be reminded of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, and this story compares well.
I grew up with Marvel Comics Presents, and I’ve always loved ongoing anthology books. It would be nice if the big companies would make room on their shelves for books like this that can try new ideas and take risks without threatening a Multiverse or film franchise. MCP was a training ground for rising stars and veterans stretching their legs, group efforts at their best. That this book is primarily the effort of one man is an impressive feat.
It’s a pricey book, but has plenty of contents to justify its cost. The landscape-oriented middle chapter reads with some difficulty. (I flipped my computer on its side to read my digital copy, though maybe reading with a tablet is easier.)
Verdict
Buy! I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s experimental but accessible.
