Sleepwaking #1
Unmarked Comics 2020
Written by P.A. Wikoff
Illustrated & Lettered by Andre de Almeida
Issue One "The Fall."
Have you ever woken up and wondered what you did the night before? Well, Jamie is having trouble recalling his entire life. Every truth is turned upside down as he grasps onto the last shreds of his sanity. Get swept away by this psychological thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder.
I rather enjoy this gig of mine, especially when folks send me books I might never have had the opportunity to read. I go into these virtually blind and I wouldn’t have it any other way to be honest and this one grabbed me pretty early on and kept my intrigue factor to a high level throughout. I love when a book is able to do this. When we see something that is outside the box thinking in it’s approach I for one am always grateful for this. This isn’t a superhero story or a genre piece per se but it is a strong concept that does actually affect people. Much like sleep paralysis and other cases it takes an idea and turns it into a form of storytelling which engages the mind in ways you have to experience.
I like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented nicely. You do have to pay attention to what is going on here so there should be no skimming while you read. This does take you on a journey through Jamie’s perception of reality and that’s where all the interesting bits lie. The character development is interesting because this isn’t something that can be done straightforward like we are used to seeing. I applaud Pieter for the way he’s bringing Jamie to life and how to understand him through the situations and circumstances he tells us about. The pacing is superb and while Jamie might seem like he’s man ic at times you don’t feel the story is told that way. There is a really smart approach to the storytelling that I am super impressed by the way this is structured and how the layers work it all shows some nice talent here.
The interiors here are really rather quite nice. The linework that we see is fabulous and the utilisation of the varying weights to bring out the attention to detail is well rendered indeed. This is pretty much a black & white book with hints of colour here and there and as such there isn’t room for error, it is the most unforgiving medium. Still I don’t see anything I’d change, not even how the backgrounds are utilised. This has a wonderful sensibility to it that highlights his mental state beautifully and the backgrounds are a large part of making this happen. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a strong and talented eye for storytelling. The pops of colour that are seen are utilised superbly well and just give it this edge of horror feel that heightens the tension already palpable in the book.
I am rather fond of this book. It really captures the readers’ mind and imagination in ways I wasn’t totally prepared for. The ability to have you pulled into Jamie’s mind and way of thinking is an extraordinary feat of writing and I have to say that if you like smart, intelligent storytelling that makes you think then this is definitely for you. I know it can be found on ComiXology. You can go to www.andredealmeida.com and get yourself a copy. This is why I always say to walk through artist alley and the small press areas to see what may catch your eye or to listen to a creator's pitch. This is top notch stuff.
Unmarked Comics 2020
Written by P.A. Wikoff
Illustrated & Lettered by Andre de Almeida
Issue One "The Fall."
Have you ever woken up and wondered what you did the night before? Well, Jamie is having trouble recalling his entire life. Every truth is turned upside down as he grasps onto the last shreds of his sanity. Get swept away by this psychological thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder.
I rather enjoy this gig of mine, especially when folks send me books I might never have had the opportunity to read. I go into these virtually blind and I wouldn’t have it any other way to be honest and this one grabbed me pretty early on and kept my intrigue factor to a high level throughout. I love when a book is able to do this. When we see something that is outside the box thinking in it’s approach I for one am always grateful for this. This isn’t a superhero story or a genre piece per se but it is a strong concept that does actually affect people. Much like sleep paralysis and other cases it takes an idea and turns it into a form of storytelling which engages the mind in ways you have to experience.
I like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented nicely. You do have to pay attention to what is going on here so there should be no skimming while you read. This does take you on a journey through Jamie’s perception of reality and that’s where all the interesting bits lie. The character development is interesting because this isn’t something that can be done straightforward like we are used to seeing. I applaud Pieter for the way he’s bringing Jamie to life and how to understand him through the situations and circumstances he tells us about. The pacing is superb and while Jamie might seem like he’s man ic at times you don’t feel the story is told that way. There is a really smart approach to the storytelling that I am super impressed by the way this is structured and how the layers work it all shows some nice talent here.
The interiors here are really rather quite nice. The linework that we see is fabulous and the utilisation of the varying weights to bring out the attention to detail is well rendered indeed. This is pretty much a black & white book with hints of colour here and there and as such there isn’t room for error, it is the most unforgiving medium. Still I don’t see anything I’d change, not even how the backgrounds are utilised. This has a wonderful sensibility to it that highlights his mental state beautifully and the backgrounds are a large part of making this happen. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a strong and talented eye for storytelling. The pops of colour that are seen are utilised superbly well and just give it this edge of horror feel that heightens the tension already palpable in the book.
I am rather fond of this book. It really captures the readers’ mind and imagination in ways I wasn’t totally prepared for. The ability to have you pulled into Jamie’s mind and way of thinking is an extraordinary feat of writing and I have to say that if you like smart, intelligent storytelling that makes you think then this is definitely for you. I know it can be found on ComiXology. You can go to www.andredealmeida.com and get yourself a copy. This is why I always say to walk through artist alley and the small press areas to see what may catch your eye or to listen to a creator's pitch. This is top notch stuff.
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