by Randy Lander

KISSING CHAOS #7 Recommended (7/10) Oni Press Writer/Artist: Arthur Dela Cruz Editor: Jamie S. Rich Price: $2.25 US This issue of Kissing Chaos lost me a little bit, as I seem to have forgotten some recent developments that have separated some of the characters, and there's a general feel of some new stuff being introduced that comes a bit out of left field for me. However, the strong points of the book, notably the unusual and beautiful artwork and the sarcastic wit of Raevyn, are there as usual. I honestly think Kissing Chaos will read better as a trade paperback than in these fairly short installments, but there's enough mystery and solid characterization to keep me interested. From the start, the most interesting aspect of Kissing Chaos for me has been Raevyn, and more to the point, her interaction with Damien. Though both of them clearly have an attraction to each other, they also quite clearly hate each other, and the argument in the beginning of this issue is a great example of their entire relationship. Raevyn's relentless sarcasm and harsh words to Damien, as well as Damien's attitude towards her, which is angry but seems genuinely intent on protecting her, speaks volumes about the characters. I also greatly enjoyed seeing Raevyn play games with the media when they came to her car. At the same time, while those are the most interesting characters to me, Angela really seems like the driving force of the book, at least as far as atmosphere goes. The dreamlike, hazy imagery of the art works its best when accompanied by her narration, which is never completely clear about what's going on but instead encourages the reader's mind to wander, often in uncomfortable directions. Though Raevyn and Damien are both coping with the situations they are in, Angela seems to have been actually psychologically damaged by them. I was a bit confused this issue by the sudden appearance of the "Highway Killer," which felt a little bit like a riff on Natural Born Killers, particularly the media reaction. While it gives a good excuse to get Damien and Raevyn on camera, providing a terrific cliffhanger ending, the inclusion of this bit of story seemed to come out of nowhere to me, and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out if I should remember something about the "Highway Killer." However, my memory was also playing tricks on me early on, as I can't for the life of me remember why Raevyn and Damien were heading to the train station, which gave me pause early on. Even though the series is nearing its end, I'm still not entirely sure where it's going, and I'm still confused about more than a few elements. However, the style of the story, and the strength of the characters, has kept me interested this long, and I expect it will keep me interested until the end. In addition, I think Kissing Chaos is going to make a great collected edition. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.