Intersect #1

 

Written by: Ray Fawkes
Art by: Ray Fawkes
Published by: Image Comics

 

Do you ever catch yourself in a dream all twisted, strange and wrong, and you just can’t wake up? You know it’s a dream, but part of you has to know what happens next. But at the same time, you don’t know if you can handle what you find next? Intersect is what nightmares are made of.

The basic premise of Intersect is four people in two bodies, shifting back and forth between personalities and body parts as they scramble to escape some unseen horror chasing them through a dreamworld. Aside from that, writer and artist Ray Fawkes (BATMAN: ETERNAL, ONE SOUL) hasn’t given much away since the book was announced, and for good reason. Intersect is meant to be a mind-mangling, hallucinogenic trip into madness, and every reader will probably get something slightly different from it. Too much prior knowledge would spoil the experiment. 

The setting is reminiscent of stories like The Matrix or Inception where the primary landscape we have to navigate is human consciousness itself. The way nothing in this comic is what it seems reminds me of Supreme: Blue Rose (Warren Ellis, 2014), another trippy ongoing title at Image Comics. The plot of Intersect is anything but straight forward, and will be hard to follow for a reader who’s expecting a casual comic read. There’s no easy way to tell which personality is talking by way of the lettering or speech bubbles alone, so you have to pay close attention to changes in the narrative.

The art is just as abstract as the prose. Everything is soft and blurred, painted in muted colors on a white background. Most of the pages aren’t bound by panels. One image will flow into the next, which will drip and blend into the next one. There’s still a pretty logical flow to it though. Fawkes does a decent job of guiding the reader’s eye with brush strokes. What struck me the hardest was how such a dark and terrifying comic was possible on such a pale palette. The stark whiteness gives it a medical, sickly aura that turns your stomach. It’s a very different feel from the fearful shadows that accompany most horror stories.

This is definitely a book that should be read several times and allowed to sink in before you make your final judgment on it. Read it quickly, just letting the words and images rush through your mind to get a feel for its cadence and see what sticks. Read it slowly, poring over every image, deciphering words and phrases, trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Maybe try reading it without reading the words at all to see what else you notice.

This comic isn’t for everyone. It’s probably not even for most people. But if you like experimental art and books that play games with your expectations, check it out. This first issue was definitely confusing, but I can’t wake up. I need to know what happens next in the dream. Will you?

Note: Intersect is for mature readers only and contains adult language and themes.

Overall Score: 8/10