Review: Lonely Receiver #2 (of 5)
I think Neil Sedaka said it best; breaking up is hard to do. Add to the loss, the heartbreak an almost Black Mirror level of technologically tinged horror and you are starting to get the the emotions and vibe that creators Zac Thompson and Jen Hickman are mining for this five issue run from AfterShock Comics.
Catrin is left alone. No girl, no phone, no ID and no connection to society. Isn’t that how we all feel after a break-up or more correctly how we feel when we get the big elbow? Catrin does all the things we all do in such times; live like a slob and eat junk food. Or at least she tries to. Having to get her life back takes some prodding from the faceless eyes that seem to have taken a fancy to Catrin. Does the shadowy thing really exist, is it a formation of Catrin’s feelings or an hangover from time spent in the garden and why does it seem to be gaining more substance?
Zac Thompson has taken the human condition, the fear of being alone, added a sci-fi horror elements and thrown in the snippets of the five stages of grief. In Catrin, we get to see the heartbreak, the loneliness and the denial of the issues that caused the split in the first instance. As she starts to try and get her life back on track, remission may well be around the corner. Thompson takes the time to show the depths of Catrin’s frustrations and disappointment. It is a well observed piece of writing, taking in the various aspects the Catrin’s mindset. By following her journey, we also get to see more of the world in which Catrin is living in, with hints of the dark technology infused underbelly which seems to have seduced her life partner.
Jen Hickman does a great job in setting the scenes. The apartment is messy, Catrin is dishevelled as she quietly kind of falls apart. I am not sure if this was done on purpose, but looking at the figure work in this book Catrin is shown quite small in her panels, showing her as small cog in a bigger world, both in the reality and the surreal worlds in which she has/is living in. Catrin’s desperation to get her love back colors her actions with pastel tones belaying the serious of her mindset and adding contrast to her outdoor and indoor life. The book is wordy, though thanks to the superlative Simon Bowland it nether feels like hard work to read nor does it affect the art in a negative way.
Normally, the first issue is seen as the setup bool. With such a dramatic change to Catrin’s life at the end of the last book, this feels like a second attempt to setup the story. This isn’t a bad thing; at this stage there are two distinct Catrin’s, with and without Rhion. There is still more to come from this book as we have yet to see more of the garden and the debate around A.I extending past its original purpose. It is going to be an interesting read for sure.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art & Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 4.5 Stars
Written by; Zac Thompson
Art & Colors by; Jen Hickman
Letters by; Simon Bowland
Published by; AfterShock Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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