After a long hiatus from the blogging world I was sucked back into the mix thanks to a Twitter DM and an intriguing cover photo. A single iridescent rose reminiscent of that of a Sandman Cover had peaked my interest. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman is my favorite comic book series so I was suckered into it. One click lead to another and I learned about Chris Callahan and his book The Misplaced. The Misplaced explores the story of a young man, James, who is discontent in the afterlife paradise that is Heaven. James feels incomplete in Heaven, for his wife’s spirit is not there. When confronted, an Angel of Heaven tells him they don’t know where she is, although James suspects she is lying. James seeks to leave Heaven so that he may find his lost wife. This story takes place in a Victorian-era time period on Earth. It’s amazing that I chanced upon this story because a few months ago, I reviewed a similar story. While I panned The Shepard I have much higher hopes for The Misplaced. And while the art mimics that of a Sandman cover, the story has a slightly different tone. James, throughout the entire first issue, is grounded in rationale and points out the oddities of Heaven. How can the Great Machine generate manifestations of his wife yet can’t even find her? If all of your desires are granted, how is anything of value? The story, while trippy, is fairly easy to follow and doesn’t invoke headaches like a Sandman story. The style combines trippy elements of the supernatural with steampunk. Or at least I think it will. I was only able to read the first issue, which takes place in Heaven, where everything is a swirling cosmos acid-trip. However, within the story, Heaven is said to be run by a great machine, with many turning intricate gears. One character alludes to the machine saying that clock is ticking slightly off and great change is coming. Finally, the last few pages of Issue #1 presents the greatest evidence that this story will be an ethereal-steampunk style (I don’t wanna spoil it).** I have no idea what kind of story The Misplaced will be. Will it be a mystery, an action-adventure, or something else? The first issue does a great job setting up the story and hooking the reader, but does not hint at what kind of journey we’re about to take. What will it be like when James returns to the world of the living? Where does he even start? It’s a classic “what happens next?” scenario that prompts readers to read on. The art is fantastic. Chris acts as both writer and designer which serves the story well. I don’t know if an artist could capture his vision in quite the same way. With over a decade of industry experience, Chris paints a beautiful cosmos with haunting figures occupying it. While I feel that his depiction of Death is a bit cliché, it also is fitting for this type of story. Plus, the grim reaper look is badass. More importantly, Chris perfectly aligns his art style with the story. I’ve never seen a page quite literally glow like the panels of The Misplaced. Plus, his ability to capture fine detail and Victorian-era visuals on Earth is quite impressive. In conclusion, The Misplaced with its beautiful art and mysterious story definitely warrants your attention. The book’s Kickstarter already met its goal and now is seeking funds to become a hardcover edition. I chipped in, especially since I want to see how it ends. I would encourage others to do the same. Also, special congrats to Chris Callahan, The Misplaced is the highest rated indie comic on ComicBookBOOM to date! It’s that good. Till next time! -AJ
**Update: I spoke to Chris about this and he says I'm not quite right and that things will become clearer in Issue #2. I don't want to spoil it!
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