Review #4 of my upcoming graphic novel
which will debut at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival - TCAF - next weekend, Sat. May 9-Sun. May 10/15. If you are in town, please drop by to see the general hubbub and visit the
Editions TRIP table...
Chris Parsons has written an amazing review, and I am very grateful for his carefully considered insights!
THE CLIFF Book 4 REVIEW #4 - Dress, Talk, Kill and Eat Ice Cream - by Chris Parsons
The
Cliff is one of the
most original and fresh stories I've come across in a while. This goes for both
the writing and the drawing. Matthew Brown is a masterful world builder. Set in
a future Earth with only a few minor adjustments to the reality we know now
(read: cute-looking animals who dress, talk, kill and eat cream, for starts)
Brown rids the mundane with the inane. And it’s a fun ride.
In “Book 4: Heart of Brightness” we see the
follow-up to Poopsie the Penguin’s murder investigation which had led him and
Mutt Blue to Varanasi at the end of Book 3. And – without giving anything away
– we are treated to a bit more backstory of Mutt, more Blue family history and everyone’s
connection with Nexus Island. While still keeping the level of casual fantasy
of its predecessors, this book assumes a more film noir quality (times by ten for
uniqueness because such plays out in India!) as elements of the murder mystery
are interwoven with the overarching story of The Cliff.
The
characters are hard to talk about without going into essay territory. They are
just so full of the ravages that are the human condition, especially the
animals. I think Poopsie the Penguin is my new favourite detective. His dry
cynicisms are panel stealers. But, true to Brown’s delicate treatment of bigger
story at hand, the reader is always aware that there is more to who he is and
what truth he actually knows. This, of course, can be said about all the other
characters, although I wanted to focus on Poopsie because, well, he’s awesome.
The
drawings are raw and bold; the writing, witty and natural. Yet particularly for
Book 4, it is the panels with no
dialogue that stand as testaments of the artist’s ability to entirely cloak the
reader in the vibrant universe of this tale. Having been to India myself, I was
impressed with how well he had captured the landscape and its impact. The full
page panels of Mutt walking down to the Ganges sum this up gorgeously.
Even more,
what I loved about this book (as well as Books
1-3) is how Brown seamlessly blends the future world of our own with the inclusion
of anthropomorphic animals. I want to say it has a psychedelic vibe but that
would imply a lack of control and that is far from it. Everything is carefully
constructed despite how conflicting to comprehension they may seem. Just as this
odyssey must be for Mutt, it is for us to simply just experience it.
Each time I've read (and re-read) this series, I've finished with a jolt
that my time in the universe of The Cliff was too brief. “Heart of Brightness” was no different. I
eagerly awaited the release of this and now find myself in the exact same
position for Book 5: The King…
Chris
Parsons (04/29/15)
GoodReads Bookshelves:
5 Stars, Graphic Novels
