Inkblot Vol. 1 by Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd

 

 Reviewed by Jeanne

As this graphic novel opens, we’re introduced to the Seeker, one of ten siblings of a powerful and magical family who gain strength and longevity by killing other magical creatures.  When those ran short, the eldest brother found a way to break into other worlds. While the other siblings have largely scattered in search of adventure, conquest, or whatever, the Seeker remains to record all the deeds and histories of her family. Over the years, these records become so unwieldy that she has to create a library to house them all.  She spends all her days writing to the point of exhaustion.   She falls asleep, quill in hand, and knocks over an ink bottle which seems to explode.  Out of the chaos comes a cat.

Or is it a cat?  It could be a demon, something she accidentally conjured.

Whatever it is, it seems to have the power to open portals in time and space, including the seven realms of reality.  Such power could unravel the universe. The Seeker tries to catch it—

And finds herself in another realm. One with giants, who want to take her apart.  She chases after the cat who seems bent on escaping and it looks as if they both end up back in the room where they started, except that she can’t find the cat.  It’s somewhere, she knows. And she WILL find it.

Meanwhile, the cat appears in a different setting and we meet a new set of characters, apparently in a different reality. This pattern is repeated for the rest of the book.  Some characters reappear, but at different ages.  Throughout it all, the cat stares with beautiful big green eyes and speaks:  “mow.”

I wasn’t sure where this was going, and frankly I’m still not sure.  This is a collection of the The episodes are rather choppy and, being easily confused, I had trouble keeping track of who was who.  But there was a dragon, what looked like a baby Nessie, family dynamics, giants, magical things, books, and a cat.

The artwork is lush and beautiful, the coloring is marvelous, and the cat’s big round eyes are mesmerizing.  The text hints that the cat is not a cat, and it does seem to have an agenda—don’t all cats?—but in other ways, I find it very catlike.  This is a big plus for me as we all know. I’ll put up with a lot for a good cat character.

And while I have been a bit bewildered by the narrative, I am also intrigued.  It’s obvious that the creators have a definite route in mind for this story and will draw these threads together.  I think it’s going to be worth the wait.
Inkblot, Vol. 1 collects the first six issues of the comic; Inkblot, Vol. 2 is due out in October and will contain issues 7-12.

Comic art fans will take note of Emma’s last name.  Yes, she’s one of THOSE Kuberts!  Joe is her grandfather, and her father is Andy. In my estimation, she is definitely keeping up the family tradition.

And did I mention adorable cat?