10 YEARS OF THE BF SIX TO WATCH! Last year when I reviewed the WIP Comics anthology Change at Broken Frontier I remarked on how Alba Ceide’s story Jackeline’s Jacket was the standout contribution to the book. Ceide has recently self-published the strip as a standalone minicomic giving us the opportunity to provide some more considered analysis of it. Originally a 4-page comic this version of Jackeline’s Jacket also gives us several pages of process notes and sketches, providing the reader with unparalleled print insights into the creative process of this most visually energetic of cartoonists.
The central premise of Jackeline’s Jacket is that on a world of giants the most fashionable attire consists of jackets that are also home to microworlds. With war breaking out on the titular jacket Jackeline’s mother exchanges it at their boutique for a conflict-free substitute. But when the worlds of the jackets intertwine and war breaks out again can Jackeline learn a valuable lesson about making changes for herself?
Described on the cover as “a story about war and love”, Jackeline’s Jacket will no doubt remind some of the better 2000 AD Future Shocks from a classic era of the weekly comic. Ceide’s frantic, animated cartooning retains its singular appeal with pages packed with detail and a kinetic, bouncing energy. But there’s so much more going on here than just the imaginative world-building and sci-fi slapstick.
The story works on two levels. There’s the main narrative involving Jackeline and her fellow giants. But weaving in and out of the panels and often outside of their frames themselves is a love story involving some of the denizens of the jacket’s microworlds which exists in both juxtaposition to the main narrative but also darts in and out of it. Those characters are differentiated not simply by their appearances but also by the way they interact; their comparative alienness emphasised by the way they talk in visual icons rather than dialogue. In a meta flourish these players also seem aware of the structure of the comics page and have no problems subverting its boundaries. Fun, imaginative, and with a little life lesson thrown in for good measure, Jackeline’s Jacket is a perfect entry point showcase for Ceide’s work.
Alba Ceide (W/A) • Self-published
Visit Alba Ceide’s website here
Review by Andy Oliver
Alba Ceide will be a guest artist at the ’10 Years of the Broken Frontier Six to Watch’ Party at Gosh! Comics this coming Saturday, August 31st. Full details here.
2024 marks the tenth year of Broken Frontier’s ‘Six to Watch‘ initiative. Look for articles throughout the year celebrating the work of those artists who have been a part of the programme.
