Madden-Connor, Jonas – Ochre Ellipse #3

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Ochre Ellipse #3

Can we get those “science fiction” stickers for all comics?  That and “auto-bio”, “western”, etc.  For me, the raygun on the cover gives it away, but I like the idea.  This is, after a couple of issues of bits of randomness and things that were open to interpretation, a pretty simple story.  There’s a solitary and unhappy adult who remembers his childhood fondly, as then he was solitary and happy.  Determined to find out where he went wrong, he signs up for a time travel trip, goes back to his childhood (where he is invisible and intangible so as not to mess up the time stream) and discovers something important: he used to rule a vast imaginary kingdom and would have all sorts of adventures.  The adult quickly becomes obsessed with this “kingdom” and repeatedly visits the same time period, silently playing along with the boy and slowly building up the number of invisible and intangible duplicates that are all in the same time/spot.  We see the humdrum of his daily life and take an extended trip into his childhood fantasy life, but never get a lot of specifics.  They’re not really needed, as any adult can relate to happier times as children, but few can really pinpoint why that was the case.  It’s a genuinely inspired story, told without casting judgment either way.  He’s three for three on these little mini books, although I have to imagine most of you are already aware of that fact by now.  Check it out already.  $4