Posted in: Comics, Preview | Tagged: comic con, oni, ray fawkes, san diego
Next Year's Eisners #1: One Soul by Ray Fawkes
As well as attending panels, gladhanding and falling off barstools at San Diego Comic Con, I've also been reading comics. Here's a book that has made a real impression so far this show, making its debut at the Oni booth. And if its not nominated in next year's Eisners then I'll be rather surprised.
One Soul by Ray Fawkes, published by Oni is a remarkable comic book that pioneers a new storytelling device. Told in nine panel grids over six hundred pages, each of the nine panels tells the story from a different character's perspective, each character keeping their respective panel through the book. When they die, their panel goes blank, As a result you can read the book in different ways – normally, a fascinating ensemble piece, but also vertically down, through the book, following one viewpoint at a time – and each way delivers a different perspective, and a consistent narrative.
It's beautiful to see how the comics medium can still be a challenging, novel way of telling inspirational, moving and indeed haunting tales. One Soul gives you all that. It is worth your attention, it is worth your purchase.
And next year it should be worth your nomination.