Review: Headspace #1
I’ve talked before about the good work MonkeyBrain Comics have been doing, publishing quality projects from some exciting up-and-comic indie comic creators, people who I’ve watched develop and grow as storytellers and seem well placed to benefit from the larger profile MonkeyBrain gives them. It seems like the next generation of breakout Image comics creators are already doing exciting work at the ComiXology-exclusive publisher. Headspace is written by another indie creator I was already familiar with: Ryan K Lindsay, perhaps best known for the backmatter he provides for Sheltered and Strange Nation and his academic writing on Daredevil, but also an accomplished writer in his own right with the likes of Fatherhood and Ghost Town, not to mention a short in ComixTribe’s own The Oxymoron. Here, teaming up with the art duo of Eric Zawadski and Chris Peterson, as well as colorist Marissa Louise, he is getting perhaps his most substantial platform yet. Does he deliver the goods?
At first, I wasn’t really sure what to make of Headspace #1. The initial setup, with moody protagonist Shane having an existential crisis as the sheriff of dead-end town Carpenter Cove, didn’t really grab me, and some seemingly non-sequitor scene transitions and shifts in tone left me feeling more alienated from proceedings. But over the course of the issue, the different strands come together in a way that, while it’s still not entirely clear, feels less confusing than it feels like a mystery waiting to unfold. With a clever central conceit aided by some nicely hard-boiled narration by Lindsay, Headspace awards reader patience with a strange, unsettling narrative that promises to take us down a rabbit-hole.
Visually, artists Zawadski and Peterson gel together pretty seamlessly. The sequences in Carpenter Cove offer the best opportunities for memorable imagery, which results in some memorable visuals and character designs. The thick lines and soft, simple color palette give the book a bit of an Amelia Cole vibe, which can feel a bit strange given how much darker a tale this is than that other, well-regarded MonkeyBrain title. But for the most part, it works.
This first issue is rounded out by an extended editorial from Lindsay, going into detail on everything from how the project came to be to what the ideal soundtrack to listen to while reading would be. Throughout it all, his passion for the story is clear, and it’s quite infectious.
MonkeyBrain have been spoiling us with a dense array of quality titles recently. And while Headspace may not quite place itself on the top tier of that library yet, all the component parts are in place for a story that could grow into something special. An intriguing opener, and well worth checking out.
***
Writer: Ryan K. Lindsay
Artists: Eric Zawadski, Chris Peterson
Colorists: Eric Zawadski, Marissa Louise
Letterer: Eric Zawadski
Editor: Dan Hill
Publisher: MonkeyBrain Comics
Price: $0.99
Synopsis: The inhabitants of Carpenter Cove discover their strange town is actually a construct in the mind of a killer. Shane, the sheriff, wants to get back to his real life but one dark connection between him and the killer is going to make him rethink everything.
Headspace #1 is available to buy now from ComiXology.
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Category: Comics, The Creator-Owned Zone
