The Eye Collector #1

The Eye Collector #1

Virus/Heavy Metal Comics 2021

Created by Jonathan Ball & G.M.B. Chomichuk

Written by Jonathan Ball

Illustrated by G.M.B. Chomichuk

Lettered by Lyndon Radchenka

The Eye Collector tells a horror story centring on a young protagonist, Nathan, who struggles to shield those he loves from a mythic amalgam of the Sandman and Man in the Moon. Equal parts god and parasite, the Eye Collector grants mortals what they most desire, in their secret hearts, in exchange for their eyes, which fuel his dark magic. The book's artwork reflects this dark, chaotic, surreal war for control of perspectives on reality.

I love working with Heavy Metal, not only do they have some truly amazing titles on stands but they send me stuff I would’ve never seen if they hadn’t. This is a perfect example of that, it wasn’t on my radar and I hadn’t known it was out but now that I do know I need to have this book in my life. Not only is the artwork incredible but the story is intriguing and fascinating to me and it has a way of drawing the reader in in some really unexpected ways and with this type of material you know you are going to be in for heck of a weird ride, the Addams Family type of ride.

I really like they way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction and the way that we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter is incredibly interesting and does a great job getting us inside the characters. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story, introducing the characters and us to this world we’re on board hook, line and sinker.

I am very much enjoying the way that this is being structured and how we see the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow. These layers are where the intense characterisation and the surprise moments happen, including that sensational ending, and whether these moments work with the main arc or simply swirl around it they add this depth and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is beautifully achieved.

The interiors here are phenomenal! The linework is stunning and with the varying weights and techniques being utilised we see the detail work shine. The creativity and imagination that are on display here is mind numbing, the eyeballs thrown into the patterning is subtle yet strong. How they work within the composition of the panels to bring us depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story is fantastic. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a massively talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is brilliantly rendered. How the various hues and tones within the colours are being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is breathtaking. Also the way that we see the colour laid down and the watercolour effects really do a number on how we see this.

My hats off to Lyndon as well because to see the lettering from the television or simply on the page and how they add the same kind offbeat dimensional pull about them is really rather remarkable to see.

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If you are a fan of outside the box thinking and storytelling you NEED to get a copy of this book. If you simply enjoy intense and interesting storytelling you NEED to get this book. Love comics in general then you NEED to pick up a copy of this book.