Bill/ Resonating Transparent/ Under A Slowly Spinning Sun
Every couple of months or so a package from the editor of this mag arrives in my mailbox brimming with stuff to review. Some of it will be okay; some won’t appeal to me but will appeal to others; some will be utter trash and there will be a couple of real gems. But what frequently surprises me is the quality of comics that get sent my way and this is just another that is following that trend. At SmallPox in Ottawa I received these three comics from the eager author and upon reading them a smile slowly crept across my face. In “Bill” there is no dialogue _ at all. But with intricate pen work, multiple and pattered frames that utter forth a strong sense of mood and time, Marcel unfolds Bill’s day at work with unnerving rawness. “Resonating Transparent” is a particularly interesting read because it was originally done by the author for a Contemporary Studies class at King’s College in Halifax in response to two texts. While I wish I was familiar with the works, the author tried to make this as pedestrian as possible (it is about, from what I gather, the role of the artist/audience in art) and it works to good effect, the artwork is fabulous again. “Under A Slowly Spinning Sun” is Marcel at his most intricate. Full prose and detailed page backgrounds, and the same layout style we saw in “Bill”, this is his strongest work by far. Again, he tackles a large theme _ the refutation of time. However, this never comes across as pretentious, rather, it drifts into the background as the story and artwork takes pole position, guiding the reader like a slow dance, through the pages. (KJ)