Jetty #1
Do you still ask questions about the universe and your place in it? It’s OK to say “no,” as it can get exhausting after a while, but Rio is still asking, and we get to read about it. Read and observe, really, as there are a couple of pieces in here with very few words. This comic starts off with Rio asking “What is it that makes my heart narrate?” on the inside front cover. So right away it’s easy to see that this man is searching for meaning in everything he does. The first story deals with a young man who was made king of a realm of giant space insects. Well, cars that fly into space and transform into giant space insects. While still carrying their passengers. And one of those passengers happens to be a bratty kid, who the mom asks to be left with the space bugs (!), so he is. Next up is the heart of the book, called “Masks that grown-ups sell me and the lies they tell me.” This is where Rio really lets loose, and it’s utterly pointless for me to even try to review it. I did use a page from it as a sample to give you some idea of what to expect, but that’s as far as I go. The rest is up to your own interpretations. From there you have a silent piece about some of the giants of the sea, a series of quotes from Jesus from unfathomable space entities, and Rio taking his leave. If you’re looking for a linear story you’re better off going somewhere else, and that’s also true if you’re not big on introspection or asking too many tough questions. For the rest of us there’s a lot to like here, although I’m left with the ridiculous thought that I wish that he had gone deeper. But that’s just me, and that’s probably because I’ve long thought that the answer to everything is out there somewhere, it just needs to be found again. If it exists at all, that is. Yep, this is why I leave it up to the professionals to make comics about such thoughts. $5
