Digital Review: Dual #1

Dual #1

Story and Art by: Michael Walton

Published by: Zuda Comics

Available on Comixology, DC Comics Reader

Another great comic by Zuda comics that I happened across is Michael Walton’s Dual. A short story synopsis: (spoilers)  Bill Jensen has an imaginary friend, Yasu, who is apparently more real than imaginary. As a kid Bill was teased mercilessly for speaking with Yasu, and as an adult, he learns that Yasu and he are part of a larger world filled with such supernatural beings. Now imagine the most popular duo, Calvin & Hobbes mixed with a bit of X-Files, and this is what you would have. After being bullied so bad, Bill eats Yasu in frustration to shut him up, and their “merger” winds up giving Bill an otherworldly power. (end spoiler filled synopsis)

Sorry for the spoilers, but it is truly difficult to cover the story without giving away the details that made this story really work for me. I think what I liked about this book was the imaginative nature, mixed with a sense of real world consequences. Walton sets the stage in the first few pages with the happy relationship of imaginary friend and the crashing harshness of reality. And after the strange merger, which I thought was a brilliantly creative way to introduce that element, the consequences of such surges of power, and the narrative suggesting that this story is closer in our world than we would think.

Like many Zuda comics, the writer is also the artist, and the art here is also just as good as the story. The characters designs are great with Bill being an all-American kid of the 1908’s, and Yasu has a manga-styled character design. What also impressed me was the depth of the panels, as Walton takes his time to fill in playgrounds with familiar settings, and even dialogue pages, which are normally blank behind the characters have subtle background settings. This comic felt full and realized because he takes the time to fill the panels and give them their own life.

Again, this book was a first issue freebie, so you have no good excuse to check this out. I went ahead and grabbed issue #2 for $1, and this series is getting really good. It is a really great balance of imagination and reality, and the artwork sets a rich, deep environment, and easy on the eyes.