Comic Book Review: Peter Pan and the Language of the Dead by various creators
Bento Comics is a collective of comics creators who do print-on-demand and ebook sales, and have made several themed anthologies. This is their 2012 offering, based on the theme of, well, Peter Pan.
“An Awfully Big Adventure” written by Fehed Said and drawn by Svetlana Chmakova is a dialogueless tale of a man in a nursing home who looks forward to regular visits by a woman who reads him Peter Pan. One day, she stops coming. A tearjerker.
“Puella Aeterna” by Tacto gender flips the concept a bit, with Vivienne Pan as a chanteuse who refuses to grow up, and a young man who cannot quite commit to also being eternal. This one’s more bittersweet.
“Mother’s Little Secret” by Myung Hee Kim takes a bit of the Pan lore in a horror direction, as a girl remembers her mother’s tale of how children get lost and what to do if Pan comes. I like this one quite a bit.
“We Are the Pickwicks” by Queenie-chan takes a look at the family that lives next door to the Darlings in Kensington Square. They’re very sensible and sane, and most certainly have never seen children flying in the air. But for some reason, their elders keep falling out of windows. Sad or creepy, depending on how you look at it.
“Poor Lost Boy” by Lanny Liu is three one-page strips about different aspects of Peter’s relationships with girls. Very different tones.
“Kamikaze Couple 2: Peter Pan Syndrome” by Dennis Lo has intelligence agencies reacting to news that an operative codenamed “Peter Pan” may be about to cause Doomsday. Confusing.
“Mouse” by Dan Hess has Tootles and Slightly investigating a part of the Neverland that Peter has said is off limits. They find a field of flowers and the person the story is named after. There’s no “there” there, so this is one of the more disappointing entries.
“Barrie’s Bargain” by Dee DuPuy is more of an illustrated text story which blends the real-life biography of James Barrie with fantasy elements. It gets depressing.
Some pieces work better than others, but if you like at least two of the creators, it might be a good idea to support them by purchasing this volume, because we all know small press creators need the cash.
