Collective Consciousness: Gone Fishing #1
Our latest weekly column, Collective Consciousness, is a group review of a single issue. We gather all the reviews and put them together so you can see just how diverse the tastes of all our writers are. This week’s is extra special because we have the unique privilege to honour one of our own. It’s with great pride we get to celebrate the first published comic of FD White, Gone Fishing #1.
Gone Fishing
Tim Belfrey is a young boy with a rough life. The only constant solace he has is found in the lake by his house, in the form of a fish. Adventure awaits!
This one-shot is brought to us by FD White and Alrissa Sia.
Let’s check out what our writers have to say about Frank’s debut.
ToriBee
Gone Fishing is an intriguing short story akin to perhaps a Neil Gaiman or Tim Burton sort of fantasy narrative, taking real life problems and weaving them into a simple fantasy to better understand the problem or to help cope with it. In the case of young Tim he finds a mysterious fish in the pond behind his house just as his life couldn't get any more problematic. The journey that Tim takes is touching and enchanting, it's almost a shame that there isn't more, but the story is wonderful as is. Same goes for the art, which is adorable and coloured in a pleasing way. This is a great little short that everyone could keep in their arsenal of stories because it's bound to be accessible to any type of genre reader.
Robert James Cross
This comic is pretty good because I actually cared about all the characters right off the bat. That says a lot about the writing and the art. The art is very innocent and at times...a bit rough, but it adds to the mystique. I love the relationship of Tim with his parents because of how heartbreaking their whole situation is. If only the father would quit smoking, then maybe Tim wouldn't need to confide in a fish. F.D.'s writing is great because the narrative is childish like Tim's supposed inner-monologue. The dialogue was sparse, but made sense when it appeared...even the fish's. Great start for a first issue.
Stephen Gervais
Right off the bat I have to say wow there’s a whole lot of story packed into 18 pages! You’re pulled right away into the tribulations of Tim Belfrey’s world and the fantastic means in which he uses to escape his hardships. It’s quite amazing not only the complexity of the story but also the amount of characters which we are introduced to and feel emotions for in such a short piece. The art was also very well done and definitely played a role in adding depth to the story. Each panel helped the reader connect more and more to Tim and really brought about a great flow to this one-shot. All in all this was a fantastic debut and I can’t wait to read more of Frank’s work in the future!
Forrest Hollingsworth
This comic exudes a certain emotionalism that I don’t think a lot of comics today do. There’s these elements of fear, doubt, depression and childhood all filtered through this charming and strange tale of a boy and a fish. I’m saddened that the art inside doesn't really match the art on the cover and the characters feel like they’re kind of laid on top of the scenery and not living in this world but that being said, it all exemplifies and characterizes a very specific heart and tone under the rough indie elements on the surface. Similar, I would say to the difference between the world on land and the world underwater that we see in the comic itself. I’m also a sucker for things left unanswered so I appreciate the abruptness of the ending despite how strange it all really was. Overall, a rough but charming book that shows more promising writing than it does art and that’s okay.
Louie Whiteford
“Just as quickly as it all arrived, it’s gone.”
This was a painfully short story. I wish there was more! In 18 pages, White and Sia manage to tell a touching story without succumbing to schmaltziness or needlessly upping the stakes. While far from perfect, they manage to hit each note just hard enough to let us linger and wander. A boy's father is ill, and the kid's taken to visiting a backwoods pond to unwind. One can see where the boy might want to stretch some moments out or forget about them entirely. It sets up quietly and escalates suddenly, as a lazy childhood should. The climactic pond swim felt dramatic, even considering that it’s mostly pictures of seaweed. The lettering and panel assemblage made for a few harsh transitions and moments when I followed the wrong one, but as someone who's made their share of comics, goddamn if that isn't the hardest thing to figure out. Mr White and Ms Sia seem like smart young talents. They’ll get it soon enough.
Consensus
Excellent first issue with tons of story packed into 18 pages. It looks like a bright future for FD White and Alrissa Sia. Show some CTG love and reel in a copy today for a mere $0.99. It can be purchased from the following link, http://www.indyplanet.com/front/product/116178/.
Gone Fishing
Tim Belfrey is a young boy with a rough life. The only constant solace he has is found in the lake by his house, in the form of a fish. Adventure awaits!
This one-shot is brought to us by FD White and Alrissa Sia.
Let’s check out what our writers have to say about Frank’s debut.
ToriBee
Gone Fishing is an intriguing short story akin to perhaps a Neil Gaiman or Tim Burton sort of fantasy narrative, taking real life problems and weaving them into a simple fantasy to better understand the problem or to help cope with it. In the case of young Tim he finds a mysterious fish in the pond behind his house just as his life couldn't get any more problematic. The journey that Tim takes is touching and enchanting, it's almost a shame that there isn't more, but the story is wonderful as is. Same goes for the art, which is adorable and coloured in a pleasing way. This is a great little short that everyone could keep in their arsenal of stories because it's bound to be accessible to any type of genre reader.
Robert James Cross
This comic is pretty good because I actually cared about all the characters right off the bat. That says a lot about the writing and the art. The art is very innocent and at times...a bit rough, but it adds to the mystique. I love the relationship of Tim with his parents because of how heartbreaking their whole situation is. If only the father would quit smoking, then maybe Tim wouldn't need to confide in a fish. F.D.'s writing is great because the narrative is childish like Tim's supposed inner-monologue. The dialogue was sparse, but made sense when it appeared...even the fish's. Great start for a first issue.
Stephen Gervais
Right off the bat I have to say wow there’s a whole lot of story packed into 18 pages! You’re pulled right away into the tribulations of Tim Belfrey’s world and the fantastic means in which he uses to escape his hardships. It’s quite amazing not only the complexity of the story but also the amount of characters which we are introduced to and feel emotions for in such a short piece. The art was also very well done and definitely played a role in adding depth to the story. Each panel helped the reader connect more and more to Tim and really brought about a great flow to this one-shot. All in all this was a fantastic debut and I can’t wait to read more of Frank’s work in the future!
Forrest Hollingsworth
This comic exudes a certain emotionalism that I don’t think a lot of comics today do. There’s these elements of fear, doubt, depression and childhood all filtered through this charming and strange tale of a boy and a fish. I’m saddened that the art inside doesn't really match the art on the cover and the characters feel like they’re kind of laid on top of the scenery and not living in this world but that being said, it all exemplifies and characterizes a very specific heart and tone under the rough indie elements on the surface. Similar, I would say to the difference between the world on land and the world underwater that we see in the comic itself. I’m also a sucker for things left unanswered so I appreciate the abruptness of the ending despite how strange it all really was. Overall, a rough but charming book that shows more promising writing than it does art and that’s okay.
Louie Whiteford
“Just as quickly as it all arrived, it’s gone.”
This was a painfully short story. I wish there was more! In 18 pages, White and Sia manage to tell a touching story without succumbing to schmaltziness or needlessly upping the stakes. While far from perfect, they manage to hit each note just hard enough to let us linger and wander. A boy's father is ill, and the kid's taken to visiting a backwoods pond to unwind. One can see where the boy might want to stretch some moments out or forget about them entirely. It sets up quietly and escalates suddenly, as a lazy childhood should. The climactic pond swim felt dramatic, even considering that it’s mostly pictures of seaweed. The lettering and panel assemblage made for a few harsh transitions and moments when I followed the wrong one, but as someone who's made their share of comics, goddamn if that isn't the hardest thing to figure out. Mr White and Ms Sia seem like smart young talents. They’ll get it soon enough.
Consensus
Excellent first issue with tons of story packed into 18 pages. It looks like a bright future for FD White and Alrissa Sia. Show some CTG love and reel in a copy today for a mere $0.99. It can be purchased from the following link, http://www.indyplanet.com/front/product/116178/.
A Look Inside
