Sirk TV Graphic Novel Review: NOIR [Europe Comics]

The aspect of what a texture of jealousy or loneliness can do to a person is based on the ideal of what is to be gained or lost in the transaction. With "Noir" [Lucasz Bogacz/Europe Comics/117pgs], the tendencies of the shadows within the art tend to reflect the loss of innocence but also the retreat into the darkness. Like something like "Baby Teeth" there is a texture of loss that resides in the heart of the character, whether it is ingrained in the author's psyche or not. The existence that he leads does not seem to be one loss or gained but stuck in a limbo. Whether Dante saw "The Inferno" as these types of abject corners of the psyche can be a source of contention but the lead character here definitely doesn't want to be understood, he seems to just want to use the experience for his own personal means. The idea of an unfinished book starts out simply enough but the aspect of the action he needs to take to get to the forlorn conclusion seem to wisp out any sort of life he could or might have. The one element that really plays well within this art construct is some of the oblong angles and closeup of the eyes which look more like dirty muddled photographs than art plus, at times, the repeating visions of single panes as if he is going over the ideas in his head very quickly as if it would change the outcome. Ultimately the graphic novel ends in an existential way pursuing the fact or why am Ia here and where will I go.C+

By Tim Wassberg