Kodachrome
Written by Sloane Leong
Art by Sloane Leong
Publisher: Image
Reviewed by: Andrew McAvoy
Every so often you'll read a comic and a wry smile will start to appear on your face as you think to yourself, "this book is just doing its own thing and is determined to do it no matter what I think". Which I have to say I entirely salute. For me there is nothing worse than a comic book creative trying to please fans, don't try and please me - try and challenge, surprise and delight me with novelty please says I to the imaginary creative sitting before me! Well, this book did that, strap in and put on a pair of protective glasses - this one is bright!
Before I get into the book proper I'm going to repeat verbatim the plot summary on Comixology because it might be necessary for us to at least discuss this book using publisher approved terminology. Here goes, "Vep is a young refugee raised away from her devastated home planet as an indentured citizen in a foreign colony. She works tirelessly for her insectoid hosts, but there is no exit in sight in this viscous, dripping citynest. The eye of opportunity is closing. Her duty is to her family and her siblings, but what more can she do for them here? The answer appears faster than she is ready for." Simple, no?
Yes, Sloane Leong is going to tell a tale and you are going to dive right into it and if you like it then that's up to you. She has a creative vision and we are all going to join her or go swivel. First off this book is told in color and art, it is immersive and you'll just spend a lot of time on each page enjoying the mad blend of colors. It shares many of the colors utilized heavily in one of my other favorite recent books Shade the Changing Girl (now Woman) from the DC Young Animal line. This book is as much about the visuals and where they carry you to as much as the written substance, which is actually my perfect type of book.
As for the writing, well I'm glad I had the plot summary above because I didn't glean any of that from my actual reading of the book. I had more of a feeling of "just run with it" and knew that any attempt by me to establish a clear story thread in the normal way would be a futile effort. That said when I just decided to watch the river flow and bend with the story, it worked.
Bits and pieces
Okay so whether you like this book like I did, or not, will depend on what type of book you like. The nearest thing I can compare this to is a David Lynch film. You know how you watch his films and don't really grasp what is going on but the multiple possibilities and messages attract you anyway? If the answer is yes you'll enjoy this, if not then maybe shuffle on to the next book. I liked it, and next time I feel like jumping into some psychedelic, alien weirdness then I'm going to read it again. So there.
8.3/10
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