Review - Intersect #1

"We tumble past flakes of frosted blood."

The point where multiple things cross is often called an intersection. It's called that because everything converges on point temporarily before continuing on their respective paths. It can be applied to a lot of different things, from something as simple as roads to something as complex as personalities. Image Comics feels the latter is a lot more interesting than the former in Intersect #1, written and illustrated by Ray Fawkes.

Blood rains from the skies. A hypnotic voice trills over the airwaves as bodies shift and grow in horrifying new directions. Are you ready for the new world? A word where four people inhabit two bodies, all of whom are trying to escape someone or something. The thing is, that many people in so few bodies means that there will be disagreements, prompting them to make decision after decision that feels questioned and dangerous.

To say that Fawkes lives in a surreal world in Intersect #1 is an understatement. It's that tone that's pervasive throughout the work that fuels it, even if the actual narrative feels disconnected and abstract. There's a lot of readers who will likely come away turned off by the first issue, even though it's presumed that Fawkes has grander ambitions for the series as a whole. There are some intricacies to the story that feel puzzling and his script moves in any and all directions. There's even some backwards writing that further clouds one's interpretation of the story and the dialogue in general feels like multiple personalities fighting for control.

In a lot of cases, when you have trouble understanding the story the illustrations can provide more context. That's not the case in Intersect #1. Fawkes' illustrative style is probably more abstract than his plot, as characters boast ethereal appearances that make them feel as if they're part of a dream (or nightmare). The minimal use of color forces you to focus on what details you can, which still often doesn't feel like much. It's almost as if Fawkes is giving you scraps of information here and there through the art because he has to and not necessarily because he wants to. It's not that he's openly antagonizing the reader; rather, it's clear the art is as much as a puzzle as the story itself.

Intersect #1 is a very, very heady read that aims to tackle some really intense concepts about one's self and identity. There's a lot to mine if you're willing to dig deeper and the series is setting up to delve even more deeply into the dark corners of the mind. Fawkes' script is very loose and non-focused, relaying the events in a way that expects the reader to connect a lot of dots. His art is equally as perplexing as the story, as the broad strokes and vague presentation give the book an incomplete feel that will likely reconcile itself down the road. Intersect #1 is worth a read if you're willing to put in the time to attempt to fully understand it.

Intersect #1 is in stores now with interiors below.