It’s been a while since we last had the opportunity to review a comic from the genre-hopping mind of Owen Michael Johnson (Beast Wagon, Reel Love). Over the years Johnson’s work has ranged from psychedelic space fantasy to earnest slice-of-life drama, with his latest comic The Mirage serving up an unlikely melange of narrative styles – part noir, part heist movie, part violent comedy. It’s a testament to Johnson’s skills as a pure storyteller – almost a comics raconteur – that this blend of genres feels so effortless. What could have felt like an incongruous mix instead fits together seamlessly in a story that will slowly reveal its multiple layers.
Las Vegas, the late 1970s and Sid Crystal is a worldweary pianist playing support for singer Ellery Banks (aka The Ice Cream Dream). Crystal is also trapped in a career dead end, thanks to the contract he signed with Banks that has left him in his thrall. When the casino’s waitress Carla Hardcastle offers Crystal a way out he finally has a chance to be free of Banks for good. But as their plans kick into gear it becomes ever more apparent to Sid that no one, and nothing, is quite what it seems in this scenario…
The Mirage constantly upends reader expectation while still providing a consistent, self-contained tale. One moment it’s a carefully constructed character piece full of quietly brooding intensity; the next it’s lurched into violent, almost cartoonish, slapstick. The characters are often grotesque in appearance and manner, and yet they’re also very human and sometimes oddly familiar. It’s a comic that can be appreciated on a surface level as a frenetic crime thriller lampooning the standards of a certain sub-genre strand. But, on an entirely different one, as an allegorical story with a subtly profound message about self-acceptance and creative pragmatism.
Johnson’s art parallels storytelling structure; it morphs and twists with a fluidity that somehow manages to embody both contorted realism and elongated abstraction. Page layouts are ever changing to match pace or moments of introspection while the purplish-yellow hues root The Mirage in both a retro environment and a fittingly dreamlike state. Special mention needs to be made of the ever solid lettering skills of Colin Bell whose choices play a major part in accentuating tone, mood and the emotional states of characters throughout.
A supplementary essay gives further insights into The Mirage and Johnson’s creative process. It’s been a little time in the making but this is a welcome reminder that an Owen Michael Johnson comic is always worth the wait.
Owen Michael Johnson (W/A), Colin Bell (L) • Changeling Studios, £7.00
Available to buy online here from May 8th
Review by Andy Oliver
