COllaPSeR

released OUT NOW! Publisher dC Comics/Young animal

Writers Mikey Way, shaun simon Artist Ilias Kyriazis

With its mix of wild ideas and incoherent storytelling, Collapser has many of the pros and cons that have plagued Gerard Way’s Young Animal imprint. Co-written by Shaun Simon and Gerard’s brother/My Chemical Romance bandmate Mikey Way, this six-parter centres on Liam James, an aspiring DJ who’s transformed into a superhero with a black hole at his heart after receiving an unexpected package from his late mother.

Issue one starts off by depicting the downtrodden Liam emptying bedpans as part of his day job at a care home, adding some nice personal touches. Sadly, Liam’s sullen nature is a turn-off – not helped by his overwrought, self-pitying inner voice – and he doesn’t become any less remote after he’s propelled into a surreal, psychedelic adventure. From Stonehenge memorably toppling over like dominos to battling otherworldly beings on an astral plane, the reader too often shares Liam’s sense of befuddlement, although things come together briefly in issue three as some of his mysterious family background is intriguingly revealed… before chaos once again descends.

Collapser’s real strength is Ilias Kyriazis’s kinetic artwork – aided by Cris Peter’s suitably lurid colours – especially when he’s able to cut loose on the occasional full-page splash. Definitely a case of “things fall apart”, but at least you can have fun on the way. Stephen Jewell