The Named

Cam Collins

Random Man Editions

This comic begins with a shrill blast, its complex sensibility (almost) blaring at you instead of a slow reveal of its against the grain nature and world view. The volume increases and, as a reader, you are compelled but uneasy—is this all effect? Am I being fooled? Then, things pull away, an almost "cute" humor tone begins, things are softer and simpler. Then this slapstick tone intersperses with the bombastic clip we felt earlier, and they alternate and synthesize. A kind of social satire, imaginative children’s humor, ‘sardonic’ humor and improvisatory drawing begin to converge, but then all invert themselves, taking on new meanings when side by side, eliciting a sort of probiotic ferment. I struggle to compare this to any other comic—Andy Douglas Day, maybe, but with more aggression on one page, and far less on another. The most important thing: this is a smart comic, a thoughtful comic, a reflective comic, and a unique comic—I’ve never read anything quite like it, and enjoyed it immensely. -Austin English