Written by: Ray Fawkes
Art by: Ray Fawkes
Publisher: Image
It is a rare thing to see a comic be completely free—in its script and in its artistry. Intersect Vol.1: Metamorph is unique and not afraid to push the boundaries of what has become socially acceptable in the comic book market. Ray Fawkes has written and crafted something experimental and minimalistic that works incredibly well. There will be those that don’t enjoy it; the art style isn’t ‘traditional’ or common—the story isn’t straightforward or easy to follow and you will have to reread previous pages to try and work out exactly what is happening but it isn’t a chore and it shouldn’t be treated as one. Intersect Vol.1: Metamorph follows Alison and Jason—two lovers trapped in the same body, watching the city of Detroit plummet into a horrific dystopia where the people are morphing into the buildings, the streets and one another—people’s consciousnesses are merging and the population’s insanity worsens—creeping in to the most stable of minds. It is unconventional and bizarre just as much as it is ambivalent and unstable; you are vulnerable to its creepy and poignant story just as much as the lead character(s) is/are.
I’m not going to lie; for the first twenty or so pages, I was very quick to dismiss what I was reading. The plot seemed unconnected, with each page filling my head with a hundred more questions, but I persevered and hated myself for being too open to the notion of giving up. I started from the beginning again and ignored the world around me—sitting in silence and dedicating myself to this bleak yet alluring story. The city of Detroit is constantly changing and its residents are morphing into it—early on in the story, we encounter a character called Gary who has begun to disintegrate and merge into the floor of a convenience store and it is horrifying. I was genuinely uncomfortable with it and being so early on, it was clear that I was in for a distressing journey. These moments never let up either; there is a time a little later on when ‘the kid (Jason and Alison’s companion)’ begins to come apart in the sewer and it broke my heart; it really helped me to appreciate exactly what Intersect Vol.1: Metamorph really is—an intelligent horror story that ignores the clichés in favour of creating an unfamiliar and tense work of art.
The lack of colour brings out the austerity—I didn’t want the story to be dumbed down by over-the-top colouring and pinpoint definition. There were many times when the simplicity shone through; the beauty in the snowflakes of blood was something I felt added to the heart of it all—the juxtaposition of Alison and Jason’s love and the chaotic hell that surrounded them was captured beautifully in these snowflakes. The messy nature of its artwork shares a semblance with David McKean’s exceptional work on Arkham Asylum and from page one, I knew that Ray Fawkes’ talents as an artist were already akin to my favourites of all time. The words and the drawings aren’t coincidentally similar—it was clear that they were a metamorphosis in themselves. The words and the world felt very much the same and I believe Ray Fawkes made this intentional. It was another great feature of the comic that made me fall in love with it.
Intersect Vol. 1: Metamorph is original and unnerving. It will terrify you almost as much as it will upset you but that only adds to its appeal. Part four feels to break up the flow of the story a little bit but it didn’t take that long until it all came back together and by the time it reached the end, I was embroiled in its excellent conclusion. A surreal and compelling read, Intersect Vol.1: Metamorph deserves your time and energy to read and experience its beauty.
