INKBLOT # 2
IMAGE COMICS
CREATED BY: EMMA KUBERT & RUSTY GLADD
A few moments after I finished this month’s issue of Inkblot from Image Comics I felt a familiarity. I assumed after the first issue this comic would have more to do with the one who conjured the cat as well. The Seeker narrates only enough to remind us of the story’s location. After that Kubert and Gladd leave us to chase the tail, though I think I’ve begun to figure it out.
Though the it takes place not far from the castle where it was created, the tale the cat in Inkblot intercepts starts with events long before it was created. We witness the abduction of Queen Allissandra while out with her daughter Lea. Kubert’s art is on display during this opening sequence. Character design and element details allow the scene write itself. The great use of color to illustrate the power of the Sorcerer’s, retrieving a offering for the “King”.
The events turn out to be a dream vision of Arabella, daughter of the now grown Lea. Waking to discover the arrival of the comics main character, her mother also arrives with news. The elves come under attack from a dragon, possibly sent by the Sorcerers. I found myself struggling through this section, the events felt rushed in pace. The child now turned mother summoning her children into battle seemed out of place, especially when Arabella doesn’t strike me as the most capable warrior. Though I suspect she has more involvement later on right now she serves as our eyes. The battles conclusion and subsequent decisions prove the Seeker had reason to fear.
So much of the second part of the issue works well once you understand the premise of the series, it’s unfortunate that it feels so awkward until it doesn’t. Inkblot as a series has the beginnings of a fairy tale anthology. I am excited to see how much of this has to do with the Seeker’s longings for a story her own.