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Duffy, Damian & Tincher, Dann – Whisp #3

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Whisp #3

Maybe I should just come up with some kind of slogan for reading comics in yearly (or so) intervals and not remembering much of what I read last to make this easier. I mean, it must get annoying to read “yeah, this one is OK but I’m not altogether clear on what happened the last time around” over and over again for various people. It’s not even a matter of having a poor short term memory, as the fact that I read #2 of this about 2 years ago kind of keeps it outside of that time frame. Anyway, this is a pretty good issue, even if some of the specifics are hazy. There are a few things happening at once, and the panel layout makes you feel like you’re in a maelstrom of events with a bunch of different people all happening at once, but spread out over a pretty thick book. Kudos to Damian and Dann for pulling that off,it couldn’t have been easy. What you have here is an armed invasion of the rehab center, a mysterious enclave of folks who already know how it’s all going to turn out, more whisp and a new player or two thrown into the mix. Or, in other words, I’m too hazy about the past issues to make any concrete review at all here. Luckily for you they were supposed to put out a collection of the first three issues at the start of the year, so there should be an easily accessible collection out there. This is a measly $2 (no idea how they pull that off with the quality of the packaging here)…

Duffy, Damian & Tincher, Dann – Whisp #2

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Whisp #2 Now Available! $2

You probably can’t tell at all by the scan, but the cover for this is slick. I mean that literally and figuratively, as there’s a different texture for the title and various other parts, and it’s just neat. Had to get that out there. Also, this is a full size book, and I think the story is even longer, although it’s been a while since I read #1, so I could be wrong. The art looks a LOT better in this large format, and the writing seems to have tightened up a bit too. My main problem with the book is that I have trouble getting what’s going on at times. It’s so dark that it’s occasionally hard to distinguish certain characters, and at least a few things happen that you’re just supposed to get without their describing it. There’s a new character in this, a man who’s worried about his nagging wife and trying to get the future out of one of the inmates. I did tell you that some of them could read the future when they’re on the drug, right? Anyway, I couldn’t tell at all what happened in the end (unless that’s intentional), but it’s a solid book all around. They seem to be keeping my complaints to a minimum, so that’s all I can ask for. Contact info is up there, and you can buy it here!

Duffy, Damian & Tincher, Dann – Whisp #1

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Whisp #1

Before I start, I have to point out the fact that the contact info for these two (besides their e-mail addresses, which I’ll link to at the end of this) is 907 W. Stoughton, Apt. 103 Urbana, IL 61801. That’s a mere three blocks from my first home in Champaign/Urbana! Ah, hooray for things that are only meaningful to me. It’s good to see that are some talented comics folks (besides Layla Lawlor) in that area. This is a creepy, claustrophobic story about a junkie, surrounded by other junkies with the drug he’s craving, unable to get a fix. The drug, Whisp, gives certain gifted people glimpses of the future, but apparently gets them quickly addicted and helpless. Not much of the big picture is shown in this issue, as it primarily deals with the main character, Curt Blake, dealing with the despair of desperately needing a fix. At first I was slightly annoyed with how tiny and scrunched the panels were, then I slowly realized that it added plenty to the closed-in feel of the story, of this character trapped in the room with the other junkies. The art is solid, the panel spacing is tremendous and original, and the writer really has his shit together. Not sure what else you could ask for, but this one is definitely worth a look. It’s $2, contact the writer or the artist, or just go to the website.