Colinet and Charretier helter-skelter tumble through gender, sexuality, space, and time wraps on a hopeful high note.
Written by Pierrick Colinet
Illustrated by Elsa CharretierThe Anomalies’ storage facility is under siege, and the clock is ticking for Teddy. She has to make her final choice. Will she run away and save herself, or put everything at risk for the greater good?
“Infinite Loop” is, ironically, quite an anomaly in and of itself. Six issues in and the series that started off as a fairly straightforward action adventure has blossomed into a fully realised manifesto for the under-represented in society. Charretier and Colinet wear their hearts on their sleeves, with many of the characters, specifically the duo of Teddy and Ano, evolving to become mainly cyphers for various viewpoints towards alternative sexuality. That being said, they still manage to sustain an engaging and invovling internal narrative that keeps the reader guessing up until the very final page.
This is, in no small part, due to Colinet’s beautifully ambiguous storylining. Throughout the mini-series Teddy has been presented as a thoroughly multifaceted character (whether through external conflict or internal fractures) and there have been plenty of instances of near Hamletian levels of uncertainty from our protagonist in almost every issue. However, in the final issue Colinet all but entirely disregards internal monologue in favour of large, bombastic speeches that motivate the reader to take up arms in the cause. Teddy’s transformation from apathy to activist is complete, and the conviction with which she takes up arms to defend the anomalies is designed to perfectly mirror the struggles throughout history that oppressed parties have had to go through to achieve a sense of fairness. As if Teddy’s voice wasn’t enough, during her transgression through time she passes numerous speechifying legends of social change including Malcom X, Susan B. Anthony, and Harvey Milk, each speaking up for an inequality that helps to further underline the constant struggle of the oppressed to get their voices heard.
This series is in no way a thing of subtlety, however it is definitely a thing of beauty. Charretier’s art has been consistently solid since the first issue, but it’s the experimental nature of the panelling (designed to best interpret the fluid nature of time-travel) that truly elevates this series for me. Charretier displays a playful and hugely knowledgeable grasp of the medium at hand to create a piece of fiction that simply wouldn’t have been possible in any other format. The freefalling, purposefully confusing nature of Colinet’s dialogue is only further enhanced by darting, meta-textual panelling. There are a number of multiple choice style panels that force the reader into almost uncomfortably personal decisions with regards to discussions of people’s rights, but Charretier handles this instances with enough playfulness and self-awareness that they seldom feel preachy, but instead open up avenues of conversation that could well continue outside of the pages of this book.
What’s more, beyond that, Charretier has managed to construct a world of both believable and visually arresting technology and personalities that feel as though they hold together even across disparate parallel universes and ‘infinite bitches’ (aka a cross section of slightly different Teddys from alternate dimensions). Charretier’s art gives hope to the future of anomalies (and by association all marginalised groups) through large, strong panels of women defiant in the face of insurmountable odds. her final image, a full page splash of dozens of potential Teddys, each repeating the mantra ‘unstoppable’ helps solidify the positive message that this book sends out; that, regardless of where you come from, speaking out against the status quo unifies you with a force almost beyond comprehension.
As I mentioned before, this is not a series of subtlety, however, I believe that in a world where people are increasingly attempting to be cleverly obtuse about the true meaning of their art, it’s both refreshing and important to have artists who aren’t afraid to shout their agenda from the rooftops. Charretier and Colinet are clearly pushing peace, love, and acceptance above all else in this series. There are points at which their characters lose focus slightly, becoming less well rounded and more like mouthpieces for specific political ideals. But the core components of this story, the purity of Teddy and Ano’s love and the visceral hatred with which the bourgeoisie react to this clandestine behaviour, are so universal that they mask the slightly clumsier instances of scripting. Overall, this creative team have managed to construct something that forces the reader to question their own beliefs about love, duty, and acceptance, and have also put together a pretty impressive action/romance romp to boot. This balance of the political and the personal isn’t easy to pull off and the strength of their story demands your appreciation regardless of your personal politics.
Final verdict: 8.2 – Timely and timeless, “Infinite Loop” is a story of universal relevance. This is a book that proves transgressive comic books don’t have to rely on shock value or stock characters.
