zine, [zeen] noun. 1. abbr. of fanzine; 2. any amateurly-published periodical. Oxford Reference

..

Monday, August 3, 2015

Showtime - part 1



Showtime - part 1 by Antoine Cossé

13.7 x 18.7cm - 46 pages. Breakdown Press.

£6.

I have a confession to make – I was a boy magician. I loved magic more than anything, there is even video evidence of me performing a routine I’d put together as a 13 year old – records change colours, a silver ball floats mysteriously in the air, a lit candle vanishes. And now, well, now I’m a part-time mind reader. The idea of magic, of sharing a moment of astonishment, is something that gets in your blood.

So, as soon as I flicked through Showtime I knew it was for me. This issue is part one of a comic book series ‘charting the stellar career and mysterious end of the world’s most famous magician’. It is a melancholy read (the blue ink helps to add to that feeling perhaps), sparse text creating a silent film effect. You are drawn into a world set in the near future through a series of moments that capture points in the life of the protagonist – his greatest performances, his broken relationships, his emotional beginnings – fragmented by what look like sequences from old magic instruction books.

It is a compelling read, and a promising start to a series.

Buy a copy here: breakdownpress.com


For more buy Antoine: antoinecosse.tumblr.com

Review by Nathan Penlington

No comments:

Post a Comment

Search This Blog