IDW Publishing 2016
Written by W. Maxwell Prince
Illustrated by Martin Morazzo
Coloured by Mat Lopes
Lettered by Good Old Neon
"The only sane response to imperfection is to destroy the imperfect thing..." While Margot investigates the most recent art crime, Arthur and Manny dive into a familiar painting to visit an old friend. And at the institute, in a blank white room, Dylan sketches something horrific.
This issue things really start to fall into place for Margot. As first Arthur and then another of her suspects illuminates her way of thinking, a way that will either strengthen or destroy her relationship with her girlfriend. Though to be honest with the introduction of this revelation and way of thinking of an artist i’m going to go with the strengthen aspect. Margot is really beginning to learn about the art world from a perspective she never thought about before.
So we open up with an opportunity to see that the Warhol man is just a man playing dress up and while we still have no real idea what his endgame is it’s definitely something interesting to see. There’s a warped psychotic thing happening here that is undeniably fascinating. Where he’s centered out of and how this will come into play later are brought to light as well.
I am really rather impressed with the way Maxwell has structured this story. The pacing is excellent and the revelations of what we see being where they are really do make this as exciting as can be. There’s something magically disturbing about the story and it’s truly something that may seem outside the realm of normal and yet the thought process of an artist is one that is firmly rooted in reality. It’s this duality that really makes a statement and if you know an artist than you know that they are overly critical of their own work and that often they aren’t happy with what they do or feel they can do better. So seeing that put into this story in this way really is pretty spectacularly done.
Martin and Mat do some amazing work on the interiors. I mean using classic pieces of art as inspiration and the setting for some of the story are incorporated gorgeously. The attention to detail here is phenomenal and the use of facial expression and body language really give off some extra vibes that have an impact to the story. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and backgrounds really help the flow of the story move seamlessly.
The writing, characterisation and story development here are among some of the best around these days. Maxwell has really taken this great premise and written a story that you can get lost in from multiple angles. Arthur and his fully immersed view of art and the world versus Margot and her practical sensibility and how she comes around to understanding his point of view is wonderfully done. That they had to meet because a madman has found a way to manipulate the world through art well that’s what makes it fiction right.