Talking to Strangers

Written by Fehed Said
Illustrated by Nana Li, Wing Yun Man, Faye Yong, Chloe Citrine and Sonia Leong
Published by Sweatdrop Studios

Talking to Strangers is a six-short story collection of mostly horror and fantasy-leaning tales, written by Fehed Said and illustrated in manga style by a variety of intriguing artists.

The book’s lead story, “Box,” has an interested conceit, hampered by its delivery. It may be a few words that throw off Said’s intent – the parents refer to their “baby,” the doctor explains that they found her like this, both of these without showing the parents alongside their daughter. When the nurse uses the adjective “finally” when talking to another mother, it only enforces a passage of time that doesn’t seem to have occurred, and the connection between the parents and the people in the “boxes” didn’t quite work. Still, Said and Nana Li infuse a terrible desperation to the lives of the young man and woman in their separate boxes. Flawed, but creepy and terribly sad when the final twist hits.

“Static,” drawn by Wing Yun Man and Faye Yong in a looser, bigfoot style, somewhat reminiscent (only on the surface) of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s line work, deals with agoraphobia and the frames through which we see the world. That fear of social interaction manifests in a purely literal fashion, with Said cleverly upsetting the protagonist’s anxiety via his connection to TV programs – a connection that is displaced to the local park outside his window when the cable service is interrupted. The ending works as a small triumph of the human spirit and comraderie.

Chloe Citrine’s artwork in “Malignant” shows promise, despite a few shortcomings in layout that make specific pages and sequences difficult to read. The story revolves around a young boy dragging his life’s burden, represented initially by a small rock, across a foreboding landscape, toward some fantastical monument that offers a hope of freedom.

Dark fantasy comes to the fore in “Hero,” with a battered teen boy and a personification of death sharing an apartment building, their paths crossing on the walk-up and landing. Both story and art, by Sonia Leong, are fairly pedestrian for the genre.

Childish whimsy and the book’s first outright happy ending highlight “Flowers,” illustrated in a bouncy, simple and open style by Faye Yong. Said does a fine job capturing a young girl’s innocence and excitement over the discovery of a flower. A little back story pertaining to the disappearance of flowers adds the requisite sci-fi touch, but it’s not really necessary; Said’s tale of innocence lost and rewarded is delightfully charming, and Yong’s art suits the tale to a T.

The “bonus story” (aside from it lacking any fantasy or sci-fi elements, I’m not sure why this one is a “bonus”) “The Old Man” provides an interesting, if slightly hokey in its ending, peek into the lessons of an elderly gentleman. Faye Yong again handles illustrative duties, using a more detailed line work than seen in “Flowers,” and the result is another artistic gem.

Overall, Talking to Strangers is a book of creative promise.  I’m sure it says something about the interconnected importance of story and art that the two best narratives, “Static” and “Flowers,” have the top art.  With both elements working together, the two stories stand out.  When the art does not support the writing, the elements are left slightly askew, disjointed, leaving four shorts that offer glimmers of wit and humanity.  With all that said, for fans of dark fantasy, I suspect that Talking to Strangers will have something to please you.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Mike's Musings, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.