TROUT #1
"The Insidious Erasermus"
Recommended (8/10)
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Oni Press
Writer/Artist: Troy Nixey
Letters: John Dranski
Editor: James Lucas Jones
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
Troy Nixey is one of those creators whose work I don't always fully understand, but I always dig on it because it's so unique. I've sampled his art and writing in such books as Only the End of the World Again, Jenny Finn, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham and most recently on Treehouse of Horror #4 from Bongo Comics. His queer art is oddly enticing, and I hope his fan base is growing.
Trout is an odd little boy who lives in a tower above Mr. Lint's turnip-fuel factory in Lower Upton. A weird puppet show called the Erasermus comes to town, and everyone turns out for the performance. Lint has even brought the reclusive little Trout along. Unfortunately, the Erasermus is not what it seems and has a strange effect on the village's children... save for Trout.
Nixey's organic, weird artistic style can be both gothic and creepy at times, and light and goofy at others. He has a wonderful eye for character design and boasts a wonderful flair for capturing the quirky periods in which he often sets his tales. What really stands out is the bizarre physicality of his characters. Everyone is a little twisted, and it emphasizes the entertaining surreal tone of the book.
Dranski's computer-lettering job is thoroughly impressive. He captures the weird but light tone of the story in the various word balloons and captions. Dranski's is a new name to me in the field of comics lettering, and I hope to see it more often.
Nixey's script is as odd and contrasting as the art. I find it challenges the reader. His creative approach certainly seems to be "less is more." Why turnip fuel? Why does Trout hide away? Questions like this keep popping up, but it adds to the reading experience. The title character, unlike others, isn't expressive at all, and it draws the reader into the book. One finds oneself guessing what Trout might be thinking, and it adds an unusual tone of mystery to the story.
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