Bliss # 5
Image Comics
Story: Sean Lewis
Art: Caitlin Yarsky
The word “Love” isn’t the first to come to mind when you hear the word addiction. I know from personal experience. No, typically terms like selfishness, greed and weakness get thrown around when we think of addiction and addicts. Issue # 5 of Bliss from Image Comics presents an alternative to that narrative.
Sean Lewis and Caitlin Yarsky have delivered another fantastic chapter for a series that has become a favorite read for this geek. This issue gives the reader a chance to view Benton differently. Until this point he was a man who seemed to have lost his motivation. When he began working with the “Lords” it was for his son, his family. After seeing him attempt to murder his wife a few issues back it’s hard to argue his “love” of his family was his focus. The way creator Sean Lewis’ story masterfully laid subtle hints of the cycle of how addiction work really impressed me.
Meanwhile, Perry and the remaining “Lord” continue to look for a way to destroy Lethe. I enjoyed how this story split equal time between these moments of discovery for Perry with Benton’s confrontation with Lethe. It was also interesting to see how Benton isn’t the only addict in this story. Obviously Lethe didn’t listen to the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Crack Commandments”. Also, seeing how the “Lords” worked out a come up…this fantasy book is basically a street level hustle in disguise.
Caitlin Yarsky’s artistic talents bring this issue to life. This issue flows through so many different scenes and sequences but the story never stumbles. Never hurried, each panel captures just enough detail to tell it’s particular piece of the story. For example, I was impressed by how it went when Benton is buried during his rehabilitation. The visuals helped emphasize the struggle of coming clean and accepting what has happened.
Bliss has the power to cause it’s users to forget. Benton had to remember why he started dealing it in order to escape it’s grip. Love isn’t a word often associated with addiction but it worked for Benton. It worked for me.