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KISSING CHAOS #6
Recommended (8/10)
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Oni Press
Writer/Artist: Arthur Dela Cruz
Editor: Jamie S. Rich
Price: $2.25 US |
As we come nearer to the conclusion of the mini-series, the dreamlike pacing and style of the series is fading somewhat, giving way to a harder edge and a lot of tension. Conflict abounds, between Damien and Angela, Damien and Raevyn, Raevyn and Ev, and of course the various forces following them, and it only remains to be seen what will go wrong first. Angela's passion for Damien could easily turn violent, and Ev's impatience could grow into something more as well. Originally, what impressed me most about Kissing Chaos was the
unusual artwork, but I've now become snared by the plot, and I'm anxious to see
how this will all turn out.
From the beginning, Angela
has been our narrator, and her narration has been an over-romanticized view of
what was going on. Her narration is still delusional, but now it seems more
tinged with jealousy and desperation, and her state of mind begins to look more
dangerous than utterly harmless compared to her traveling companions.
Interestingly, Raevyn and Damien are beginning to look more toothless, as each
of them makes a lot of noise, but they are clearly more talk than action. The
feeling is that when Angela takes action, she won't be easily dissuaded from it,
as she will have thought it through in silence.
Beyond the fascinating
dynamics between the three main players, there are still mysteries in the plot.
The exact circumstances of Damien's murder is still a tad hazy, and the nature
of the men in black following them is also pretty much unexplored. In addition,
while Ev's frustration with Raevyn's theft is certainly clear enough, just what
is so important on that laptop is another mystery left to be explored. Dela Cruz
is maintaining a good balance between mystery and answers, and I don't feel like
he's dragging any of these questions out too far.
I've been impressed with the artwork of Kissing Chaos all along, and this issue
is no exception. Angela's seduction of Damien is damn sexy, but quick cuts to a
gun on the table or a shadowy form outside the window keeps an element of danger
to the scene. And I loved the use of static in some of the panels, both as
reminders of the television in the background (in lieu of the sound, which would
be used to create the same effect in film) and as a break in the action.
Kissing Chaos is entirely unlike what I expected, as I
was thinking we'd get a more straight crime/road trip story. However, what Dela
Cruz has delivered, a psychological journey along with the physical one, is
quite compelling.
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