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KISSING CHAOS #3
Recommended (8/10)
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Oni Press
Writer/Artist: Arthur Dela Cruz
Editor: Jamie S. Rich
Price: $2.25 US |
There's a bizarre atmosphere of detachment that looms over Kissing Chaos, but it's the book's greatest strength. It creates a sense of mystery, drawing the reader further into the characters and plot. Mind you, that story isn't completely defined. Dela Cruz is piecing a puzzle together on the reader's behalf, and I look forward to seeing what the big picture will be.
Now stranded without wheels, Damien, Angela and Raveyn make their way to a middle-of-nowhere roadhouse, which seems as a good a place as any to stop. They're mistaken. News of Damien's bloody deeds has made its way to the airwaves, and a local teen, believing Damien to be a kindred rebellious spirit, tries to join him, leading to some nastiness. Meanwhile, Angela's feeling some nastiness of her own, directed at Raveyn, who she sees as a threat to her imagined relationship with Damien.
Most of the sense of detachment mentioned above stems from Angela's character. She seems oblivious to the world around her, and is instead focused on a relationship (that doesn't seem to exist) between her and Damien. In the first two issues, Angela was painted as a serene but tragic character, but in this chapter, a bit of danger and discord creeps in.
The art reinforces that detached feeling as well. The reader doesn't get a solid sense of the settings in which the three main characters find themselves. It creates an air of vague danger but also of twisted fantasy as well. The darkness and haziness of the art add to the tension as well.
I think my favorite part of this issue is Raveyn's one-sided exchange with Angela. Her confidence, false or not, is compelling, and despite the fact that she's describing how easy she finds it to manipulate people, I can't help but like her. Compared to Angela's odd daydreamy demeanor, Raveyn's attitude is grounded and much easier to understand.
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