Psychosis
writer- Adam Atkinson
artist- David Coates
Psychosis is about a new brand of hero. You take a man who puts the
weight of the world on his shoulders and you train him how to use
that weight to his advantage. Now, split that man into two separate
psyches. One knows how to kill and has the confidence to do it, and
the other is less confident and doesn't have the taste for hurting
others. This is Psychosis.
Written and drawn by a couple of guys from Moncton, New Brunswick,
Canada- Psychosis is a bloody thrill ride with action, excitement,
lots of heart and a touch of mental illness. And surprisingly, the
mental illness is a conscious part of the story.
Throughout the comics of DC, Marvel, Image, and Darkhorse there are
good and bad guys who aren't quite right. One of my favorites is the
Badger: a psycho hero with multiple personalities and the supposed
ability to talk to animals. Then there's Deadpool who is nothing
more than a lunatic with an extraordinary healing factor and a knack
for killing But Psychosis is different. In each case of those
characters, their mental illness is part of a schtick. It's a
gimmick or a prop. Most characters have them. Batman has the
Batmobile, Superman has the “S” on his chest and the heat vision,
and Deadpool is screaming crazy. Psychosis however, his illness can
be seen as part of the problem or part of the solution, depending how
you look at it. For those other characters, their psychosis is what
drives the comedy of their books. This is not a comedy. Psychosis
takes the killing and the mentally ill very serious.
The book comes to us via Outpouring Comics, an independent company
out of New Jersey. Atkinson and Coates, Psychosis' creators, have
put much of their blood sweat and tears into this project and feel
that even though it's kind of a super hero comic, it contains
interesting material that's relevant to many Canadians these days. I
can top that one: I've read Psychosis and feel like it's relevant to
much of the world these days.
The Story:
Psychosis is written by Adam Atkinson. The book takes place in the
nearish future and is about a guy named Victor. Abandoned by his
parents as a baby, Victor was raised in a harsh world where most
people took care of themselves and ignored the needs of others. But
Victor wasn't like that. Throughout the book, we get flashbacks of
his life. We see the hardships and the trauma that ultimately make
him a victim and partner to the character Psychosis.
Psychosis is Vic's other personality. The very skilled,very strong
killer who does what he has to in order to protect those who can't
help themselves. Psychosis likes what he does. He thrives on it and
Victor doesn't approve.
What we get within all of this, is a combination of action and
adventure with a smattering of psychological drama. Besides the
timely eviscerations, we get the practical therapy sessions and
concern for Victor's mental well-being. It's both exhilarating and
touching.
The Art:
It's easy to see that David Coates is an equal partner in this
venture. The detail in each panel and the dedication to creating
this intensely dynamic motion on every page, shows all the hard work
he's putting into Psychosis. Coates has an eye for perspective and
keeps his style and the detail very consistent through out. Within
the four issues I've read, Coates not only shows his true talent from
issue one, he shows that he loves doing what he's doing. I find it
impressive and refreshing and am giving Psychosis all my thumbs up.
So do yourself a favor and check out Psychosis on Facebook. Tell
them Eblison sent you. It's a cool little indie book. Graphic and
violent, but well put together and well worth the read. And while
you're online, you can find Psychosis on Facebook. Catch you Outside
the Cube!
No comments:
Post a Comment