 |
| Nothing Fits cover by Alex McCrone |
This is a world where a dastardly villain, Solemn, has taken prisoner Charlie, the hero of the story, and cloned her, just as he has himself for a nefarious purpose, what unravels is simply an intriguing story. Oh, and there is a reanimated adolescent, ancient Egyptian mummy as well.
Nothing Fits is a whimsical tale that has been a labor of love, published online since 2011 by Mary Tamblyn and Alex McCrone. While it has been coalescing within the artistic endeavors of the creators for much longer, it has now come to fruition, with the collected work recently being produced thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier in 2014.
The tale is a linear narrative that explores the challenge of a power-hungry villain who attempts to get what he wants through the use of cloning. A little magic and science are melded together into one during the plot. We get a sense of the development of a larger political play as we go further, but the more interesting aspects of the story are reserved for the main characters' relationships.
Initially the comic was produced page by page and uploaded online over a lengthy period of time. An in-depth review was completed earlier this year to bring the story together for printing; because of this method being used, some of the plot details were quickly established and just as quickly any nagging questions about possible holes, were explained away within single pages. The aim was not to foment an in-depth exploration of characters, at least to begin with, but to establish the world as it is in Nothing Fits and then leave the tale to be told before the reader.
The story makes use of a variety of character tropes, such as a snake being the villain, rats being subservient creatures to the overall plot, and humans ultimately wanting to fulfill their own selfish desires. While there are no heavy pieces of characterization, we do get to see development within the story, which is pertinent to Tamblyn's need to guide us through her world.
The art has a great feel to it that is unencumbered by its free style and simplicity. Alex McCrone composed the art freehand, but the need to manage the production process in an efficient manner meant he then scanned the images for digital touchup and coloring. This approach left a rawness that links the artist to the audience in a refreshing manner. The same can be said of the custom font, which is actually made from Tamblyn's own handwriting.
A nice aspect of the art is the color scheme employed to draw out the story. Primarily yellow, red, green, and blue are used to wash the pages with a thematic tone, which you don't even realize is there until you're deeper into the comic.
|
| ||||
Nothing Fits is a fun comic to while away some time. You will be taken for a journey to a place you didn't know existed, and when it is time to come back to reality, you can't help but have a smile for having been there. You can feel free to check out Nothing Fits by visiting the website here. Should you feel inclined to go one step further, you can also purchase the published book by visiting the online store.
For a self-published comic coming from the ends of the Earth, this is a good way to display the talent from New Zealand comics. Nothing Fits is surely to be only a stepping stone for the creators to more projects (one of which, the Rosetta Phone, can be seen here). It is refreshing to see such different and engaging stories from independent comics and even more so when its closer to home.
As always, Fanboys and -girls, make sure you check out the online version of Nothing Fits and let us know what you think with a comment below.
0 comments: