While I love superheroes first and foremost, I’ve also read a good deal of non-superhero, ‘indie’ titles as well. I didn’t plan on it but I first got into indie comics thanks to my local library. Sure, I was mainly searching for Spider-Man paperbacks but titles like “Transmetropolitan” and “Chew” looked pretty interesting. I really appreciate how unique and strange indie comics can be. They can make Detective Chimp look downright normal by comparison. I don’t know what I expected going into “Collapser” #1 but…whoo boy. It sure is out there.
Written by Mikey Way & Shaun Simon
Illustrated by Ilias Kyriazis
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Colored by Cris Peter
There’s a voice in the head of Liam James questioning everything he does—from his job at the nursing home to keeping his relationship with his girlfriend afloat. Liam suffers from anxiety, and the only thing that quiets it is music, which makes a weekly DJ gig his one saving grace. But Liam’s life changes forever when he receives a black hole in the mail (yes, you read that right), one that takes up residence in his chest, grants him insane superpowers, turns him into a celebrity and draws him into a cosmic conflict beyond his wildest imagination. Where did this black hole come from? Why Liam? Is power the cure? Or will superstardom turn Liam into a black hole himself? Find out in COLLAPSER, a superhero story that could only come from DC’s Young Animal!
I mean, the solicit description is strange enough. It’s all accurate but hardly does this great issue justice. You simply have to read it to believe it and I would definitely recommend you read it. There’s plenty to like in “Collapser” #1. Take the protagonist for example.
I definitely expected Liam James’s anxiety to be discussed in this issue and over the course of the series but I didn’t think it would be such a focal point. We see his condition firsthand from the very start. The second Liam wakes up, his mind starts running a mile a minute. The entire issue is narrated and/or commentated by Liam’s frenzied internal dialogue. Minute tasks that other people might not give a second thought, like answering the door or picking up a pack of cigarettes, are an ordeal for Liam. You wouldn’t know it from looking at him but the guy’s going through a lot.
Liam is certainly an intriguing protagonist and you can’t help but sympathize for the guy. Even if you don’t suffer from anxiety, you probably overthink things or have your occasional moments of panic. Now imagine if those moments never really let up. It’s just continuous and there’s no reprieve. Liam’s anxiety is suffocating and you definitely feel it. You also feel his love for DJing. It’s his one escape and Liam is clearly very passionate about it. He’s such a kindhearted person and it’s nice to see him at peace, if only for a moment. Liam’s the classic underdog and readers will want to see him overcome his hurdles and achieve his one dream.
“Collapser” #1 doesn’t just feature a great story, it has fantastic art work to match. The artist Ilias Kyriazis brings his A-game for this issue. There are several great moments, fantastic little touches, standout panels and pages.
Liam’s anxious thought bubbles aren’t neat, black and white. The dark, panicky thoughts are conveyed with squiggly, purple and blue thought bubbles. There’s a lot of matching purples and blues at the club and when the black hole manifests. The issue flawlessly transitions from space to Earth, Liam sleeping in the exact position that the previous black hole owner died in. The black hole delivered through the mail as promised in the solicit. I don’t know who’s responsible for that particular idea but it’s hilarious. This powerful, all-consuming thing in a dingy, taped up box. A box delivered by a reptilian lizard clearly wearing a human mask.
The moments in the nursing home are appropriately on the gross side. Kyriazis doesn’t sugarcoat the harsh reality of Liam’s job dealing with urine, dentures and more. As a guy who regularly has to deal with my grandfather’s…’bathroom business’, let me tell you, all of that is right on the money. I kept revisiting the nine-panel page that showed Liam’s day. There’s the gross tasks in the left-most column, Mr. Edgar falling asleep in the middle column and the black hole slowly seeping through the box on the right. It’s a great way to show time passing. Beautiful…and gross. So gross.
Continued belowThe DJ gig is just plain beautiful though. It can’t be easy drawing music since readers can’t hear anything but the art team pulls it off. Liam pulls up to the club in a long coat and combat boots but he might as well be wearing a cape. For once, he feels in control. Liam is the maestro and his mind is quiet as people work up a sweat dancing to his music. He handles a record with as much care and intensity as you would an infinity stone. His girlfriend is there, smiling and supportive. Going through his day might be hell, but this is heaven for the character.
ALl of that hardly even touches on the jumbled chaos that occurs when Liam’s black hole activates in his apartment. I could honestly be here all day detailing what I liked on the art side of things. “Collapser”#1 is fascinating from start to finish. I read about a man changing bedpans and it was as fascinating as a superhero battle. Things are probably only going to get weirder from here and I can’t wait.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Mind’s playing tricks on me.
