D +

Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 15:09 By TheMixx

expertcomics

Fishbowl, #1-3

Written: William Thomson, Devin Bateson
Pencils: William Thomson
From Ole Label

This tome is thick with symbolism, at first I passed it by like so many tumbleweeds along the highway. I smirked at the opening prologue, a smart quote from Aristotle himself and I plunged in not realizing the significance. Boy, am I a dummy.  This graphic novel is split into three issues respectively; a desert-induced hallucination, dangerous and unpredictable. At times it read like Hunter S. Thompson and at others it fell into Z-movie territory. The artwork screamed punk rock DIY and I enjoyed the roughness of the illustrations; though the misspellings were starting to drive me bananas (watch for that guys, it’s a pet peeve of mine).

This is a philosophical journey as each issue starts with a question posed by a famous philosopher lending flavor to the path ahead like so much bard trilling (I still hear the lute twang in my ear). I get that this is a voyage of self-discovery for our young hero, a plucky kid named ‘Pig’. It’s a golden-fleece styled epic that has him crossing dangerous ground with a guide that is equal parts helper and trickster.  The creators had a sprawling saga in mind when writing this ditty, you can feel it. Every part of this feels weighted with some otherworldly significance as a chase to stop the protagonist is mounted. However, Fishbowl never crossed the threshold for me. I wanted to get to the promised-land, but it just never happened.

The plotting is text-book first attempt, just a few pacing problems that stuck in my craw. The panels can be a little disjointed on some pages which made the story hard to follow in some spots. I wanted to identify with the protagonist more, but I never got to the point where I liked him, and if I can’t identify, I indemnify. The book is not without its merits.  Some action and a few inventive turns are riddled throughout adding an interesting momentum to the read. There’s plenty of blood to fuel your gore battery for a couple of days. The themes in the book are fresh and original; I think given a budget and some retooling, this could become something really profound. D+.