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The Eye Collector #1 is written by Jonathan Ball and published by Image Comics. Artwork is by GMB Chomichuk and letters by Lyndon Radchenkaing. Main cover art (left) is by GMB Chomichuk.
The Eye Collector #1 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
The startling first issue of the strangest series on the stands! An ancient being has its curiosity toward Earth reignited when the humans of the Apollo 10 mission make wishes over the Moon. What is this spectral creature, and what does it want with our world? Seeing is believing…
Review
Image Comics has always been a home for thrilling and captivating horror storytelling, including, but not limited to, modern classics such as The Walking Dead, Spawn and even recent titles like News From The Fallout. Now with Jonathan Ball and GMB Chomichuk’s bizarre new series The Eye Collector, they look to add yet another great title to that ever-growing list.
I’m going to be honest up front. The Eye Collector is without a doubt one of the strangest and most unnerving titles I’ve read in quite some time. This is a series that, from the word go, doesn’t hold your hand in any way and instead just hopes that you’re coming along for the ride. Jonathan Ball and GMB Chomichuk’s approach to this series is one reliant on minimal dialogue and visual storytelling.
The real selling point of the series is Chomichuk’s mesmerising artwork, which blends contradicting art styles and conventions together to create a visual identity that is unique and fills you with unease from the very first page. Similar to News From The Fallout, Chomichuk opts for a grimy, black and white aesthetic that appears both grounded and uncanny. The only difference here is the inclusion of an intense neon green that permeates the monotone colour scheme and ramps the unsettling sense of danger with every passing panel.
Then there’s the design of the entity itself, which is, to put it politely, horrifying. The look of this creature genuinely defies description, as it blends Junji Ito-inspired creepiness with a constantly evolving form that peers right into your soul.
Jonathan Ball clearly uses the art to his advantage as the dialogue remains sparse and is only there to reinforce the unclear nature of what is happening, as well as the thoughts and feelings expressed by both the astronaut and the creature. These questions range from simple to layered and existential, only adding to the absurdity and terror of the situation that is presented in front of you.
Sometimes comics don’t have to make complete sense. Sometimes they demand your attention in the smallest details, and sometimes they revel in their ambiguity. The Eye Collector very much dabbles in all of the above. It’s both detailed and ambiguous, yet a lot of it may not make sense in the moment, which is where it thrives. Its job is to make you question everything in the most unnerving manner possible, and in that sense, it succeeds with flying colours.
Verdict
The Eye Collector is an entrancing and endlessly disturbing read that you won’t soon forget. From its emphasis on visual storytelling to the kaleidoscopic fever dream of a Rorschach test that is GMB Chomichuk’s artwork, this is one series that will have you glued to every page.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
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