Graphic Novel Review: ‘Whispers’ by Joshua Luna- A quick peak down the rabbit hole.

Writer and artist: Joshua Luna
Publisher: Image comics
Released: 11th June 2014
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/joshualunacreations

I read this book in a two day lunch period at work, and perhaps it was this environment that led to some initial confusion on my part. I came to the end of the book, amidst the whiff of floor bleach, discarded junk food wrappers, idiotic BBC news propaganda and the ever-looming deadline of getting back to work. Therefore the finer points of the book were missed, and I finished the book feeling that it was pretty good, but not 100% understanding what had gone on. This is a good thing by the way. I want my mind to be properly exercised, and as long as the narrative makes sense when I do a quick re-wind over it, I’m perfectly happy with the initial confusion.

After re-reading parts of the book that confused, I was happy to find out (as I much expected) that the book was pretty good, and that any confusion was from my own work addled brain and the context where I was reading the book. I’m not going to run down the plot here, as that will spoil it for anybody yet to read it for themselves. I can give you a quick sketch though.

It’s about an insecure bloke discovering that he can leave his physical body when asleep, and in this state he can subtly influence the actions of others. This might sound like a lot of fun, but it’s not quite as simple as you might think. The plot is a big rabbit hole, and although it doesn’t get to the core of the nature of reality it does offer an emotionally engaging plot where we follow a group of troubled people and their struggles in this physical manifestation of the ultimate reality.

The art, if you just flick through the book before reading, doesn’t look that impressive. It has a two dimensional aspect to it, that can look a bit amateurish, but once you read the first few pages you’ll forget about that and just enjoy the story that’s unfolding. I had a problem with differentiating some of the faces near the end of the book, but apart from that the art, although not of the highest quality, is functional throughout.

The main protagonist was a soft liberal drip, so he wasn’t exactly somebody that I was rooting for, but the plot unravelled like a clever theatre production, so it was always interesting, right up until the final denouement. It also asked a few questions about the nature of reality and free-will, so I appreciated that as well.

Writer Joshua Luna could have done more with the structural framework of the story, so I hope he goes back to the concept, perhaps with other characters to get the most out of it. Perhaps he could do his next book on the bankster owned scum politicians who create so much chaos and destruction in the world whilst using the corporate mainstream media to bombard us with lies and fear to control us? Do these corporate controllers have free will? Or are they being manipulated by hidden forces further down the rabbit hole? That would be nice to investigate don’t you think?

That would be a good story to tell, and would take this concept to the next level, making it relevant to real world issues, rather than just being the pleasant, creative distraction that it is at the moment. But until then this was a pretty involving, well told tale of one man and his journey down the first level of the rabbit hole.

Because the book doesn’t get quite as deep into the rabbit hole as I would have liked, and because the art wasn’t top notch, I cannot give it the highest possible marks. I can however recommend it, as it’s a good story, well told, with some creative elements that make it a lot more interesting than your average statist superhero comic book.
Rating: 7/10