Advance Review: Awakening #3

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Awakening #3
Archaia Studios Press
Written by: Nick Tapalansky
Art by: Alex Eckman-Lawn
4.5/5

This morning I was pissed off at comics. I wasn't in a particularly patient mood and frustration got the best of me. I’m sick of comic readers on the Internet forums as almost all their opinions seem to suggest they invite more of the things I loathe. I’m sick of semi-promising indie titles delivering one or two issues before falling into delay, re-solicit, never-hear-from-again oblivion. In some respects I’m tired of superheroes, even though so many of them are so good right now. I’m tired of ‘different’ titles being different in predictable ways, and I’m mad at the stacks of unwanted disappointments taking up valuable space on my closet floor. I was near the point of bringing out my pull-list and a big black marker when I received an advanced copy of the newest issue of Awakening from Archaia Studios Press and my frustration with the medium was stowed.

Publishers of bad-comics everywhere can rest easy another night. As long as books like Awakening are showing up on my desk I’ll still be interested enough to invest hope and money in other titles before adding them to the crap stack. At this point, nearly everything Archaia puts out is an absolute guaranteed blind purchase for me and I have yet to be let down. Next to big hitters The Killer and Mouse Guard, Awakening has definitely received less prestigious billing but for those who’ve made the effort to get their hands on it the experience has been full of reward.

There's something to be said for being satisfyingly confused, which is certainly how one finds themselves while in the world Tapalansky and Eckman-Lawn have created. Disorientation is part of the experience, and when the imagery mimics the confusion in the narrative I find I’m too absorbed to not be swept along in the mystery and suspense. The first two issues were a good introduction to the town of Park Falls, its characters, and the opening incidents of this story/conflict. This third installment though, is really Tapman-Lawnsky’s coming out party. They’re pushing the boundaries of what they were doing before in both voice and visuals and this book has taken on a whole new fantastic life that leaves no question of its ambition. The story is still packed with mystery, but now so much so that it’s bursting at the seams. It would be frustrating if Tapalansky didn’t seem so in control, and if my befuddlement didn’t feel so intentional on his part. Keeping pace is the art, which is taken to a whole new level. Eckman-Lawn’s complex style was interesting before, here it moves up and brushes on beautiful.

If you’re a patient and insightful reader Awakening is definitely recommended. It’s an inspiring creative force that reminds us how much room for growth the medium still has. At ten issues long, this will be a substantial volume before its completion and certainly one you’ll want to have been a part of. Archaia is the highest pedigree, and Awakening is another shining example. Don’t sleep.
-Tom