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BLACK HOLE #9
"Summer Vacation"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Fantagraphics Books
Writer/Artist: Charles Burns
Price: $4.50 US/$6.75 CAN |
This is actually only the second issue of Black Hole that I've read, so I'm almost certainly missing important elements of the story and premise. However, leaving aside any continuing story, it seems that Black Hole is readable on an issue-by-issue basis for
the character focus, and this issue features a look into a somewhat pathetic and
sad girl named Chris. The draw here for me was less the story, which often
didn't make complete sense to me, and more the artwork. This is a beautiful
piece of work, from the production values of the cover and paper to the dark and
moody art style that Burns has become famous for. The overall story was a little
weird and abstract for my tastes, but the art was as solid and intriguing as any
I've seen.
I have heard that the central premise of Black Hole has something to do with a
"sexual plague" or something of that nature which affects teenagers. However,
from what I've read, Burns seems more focused on the relatively real problems of
teenagers than some sort of horror/science-fiction plague. In particular, the
story seems to look at teens without acknowledging the world of adults, and
shows more of a teenage street culture and how various teenagers fit into it.
Honestly, I found a lot of
this story hard to relate to. The notion of a teenage girl living in the woods,
with her boyfriend having mysteriously disappeared, is not at all similar to my
life experiences. Fortunately, Burns does a solid job of conveying Chris's
personality and feelings through a strong inner monologue, and her sense of
feeling isolated and lost is something anyone who has been through adolescence
can relate to.
In general, though, that is where Burns's strengths lie. Chris describes the taste of the gin and tonic, the smell of her boyfriend's shirt and the journey through the woods in such a way that the tactile feelings are as clear as the visuals. Though Black Hole has some weirdness in it, notably the
dreamlike realm that Chris begins and ends the story in, much of the story is
grounded in a well-explained narrative. It's unfortunate that the punch of the
story relies on understanding what Chris is talking about at the end, as it is
considerably looser and harder to read than the rest of the book, at least for a
newcomer like me.
However, the draw of Black Hole is not as much the story as the artwork,
which is unusual in its impossible mixture of beauty and ugliness. Burns's work
reminds me in some ways of Richard Corben, with an exaggerated and rounded look
and a sort of "art deco" approach to settings. His use of darkness and shadow is
unparalleled, as the book is pure black and white, with no gray to be seen
anywhere. Despite a very clear and recognizable style of design and a relatively
flat palette of color, however, Burns is careful to include details that
distinguish characters and settings for one another. Though the story was
sometimes a bit off-putting to me, I was never less than completely clear and
completely enthralled by the artwork.
This comic book was not part of this week's new releases.
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