With a tongue-in-cheek take on body horror Walker Tate’s ‘Swelling’, #127 in Latvian publisher kuš!’s mini kuš! minicomics series, initially seems less experimental than some of the more opaque or abstract comics of the line’s output. But as events play out we quickly realise just what a wonderfully creepy alt edge ‘Swelling’ has to it, managing to simultaneously disconcert and amuse the reader in its both 24-page and 24-panel count.
The story features “local celebrity” (we are never told exactly why he is renowned or what for) Terry Garvill who is taking a break camping in the mountains to refresh himself and take stock of life. While there he bitten ferociously by mosquitoes and awakens to find his head hideously swollen. Does his real face still exist under the grotesque inflammation? And how can he be restored to the man he once was?
‘Swelling’ is told in one page illustrations and, while every reader will make their own decisions about how the speed in which they choose to experience the story, personally I find that this method of pacing generally makes me slow down and consider each single image in far more detail than I may have otherwise done with a multi-panel page. That works to great effect here because there are moments of physical transformation that shock all the more when dwelled on for that little bit longer.
It’s a story that moves swiftly from body horror slapstick to something stranger and possibly evasive. Walker makes some clever visual choices when Terry considers whether his former visage is still locked away somewhere and lettering/speech balloon choices emphasise the physical trauma of his plight. Whether Walker intends this to be some kind of commentary on how we perceive our own identity or whether it’s simply meant to be a spot of weird fun is up to the individual reader to decide. What is not in doubt is that ‘Swelling’ leads up to a gloriously nihilistic punchline.
Walker Tate (W/A) • kuš! comics, $7.95
Review by Andy Oliver
