by Jayden Leggett, Editor

It’s comic book reviewing time once again, and a very special treat is in store today. While this book is by no means new (it was first published in 2009), it is a fantastic piece of comic book writing and art, showcasing a stack of talented writers and artists, and I feel compelled to bring it to the attention of the world at large.

Flinch is a collection of short stories and excerpts designed “to inspire wonder… and question the darkness within us all”. Murder, the supernatural, monsters, death, depression and just the plain bizarre are all standard within it’s pages.

Here is a quick rundown/teaser for each short piece and their creative teams:

Comics:

Withheld by Bobby N: Follows the final days in prison of a man who was convicted (perhaps wrongly?) for being an axe murderer.

Night by Mel Tregonning: Details the fear a young child experiences when having to face the darkness of night time.

The Ride Home by Anton McKay: Slightly less morbid in tone but still containing its own sense of foreboding, shows a point-of-view perspective of the protagonist as he listens to quite a bizarre radio show on his ride home.

Way Out by Michael Katchan: An angry, desperate tale of a man hoping to escape his slummy neighbourhood no matter the cost.

Daemon Street Ghost Trap by Terry Dowling, Skye Ogden: A very intelligently written piece which is an excursion into the supernatural.

96,000m by Tom Taylor, Tom Bonin: A very brief but very awesome foray into the terrors that lurk at the bottom of the sea (with a little cabin fever thrown in for good measure)

No Craft by Christian Read, Andrew Richardson: In a nutshell, a tribute to the works of H. P. Lovecraft.

Speak Of The Devil by Justin Randall, Chris Bones: A somewhat ambiguous but very sinister supernatural story in a remote and isolated setting.

The Snare by Ray Fawkes, Anton McKay: Another venture into the supernatural, featuring demons, possession and despair!

White Dove III by Tom Taylor, Colin Wilson: A short but very sweet sci-fi creature feature set aboard a shuttle in deep space.

Twain by James Barclay, Chris Bolton: An army of demons led by an evil sorcerer vs a squad of medieval soldiers. Very violent and very cool!

Single Art Pages:

Moral Lesson #32 by Shaun Tan: “Innocence”, featuring a running rabbit-like creature holding a bird with a crown. I have no idea how else to interpret or describe this piece, but the art was very charming indeed.

Eggshells by Christian Scott, Mark Welsh: A brief retelling of a dream, with some great accompanying art.

Moral Lesson #7 by Shaun Tan: “Regret”, reminds me of Noah’s ark.

Moral Lesson #12 by Shaun Tan: “Knowledge”, another charming illustration featuring an astronaut with a microphone trying to interview a bizarre alien being.

The artwork in this book, while all varying in style, is simply amazing. From the cartoon styles of Bobby N. and Skye Ogden to the immensely detailed works of Michael Katchan and Colin Wilson, the visuals rock all the way through. I also found that being entirely in black and white helped me appreciate the tonal work and other minute details that are often skimmed over when colour is used.

While I loved the hell out of everything in this book, if I was forced to choose only three highlight stories, they would have to be Withheld, Way Out and 96,000m. The subtle details and plot hints in Withheld and the humanity of it all really made me try to decide for myself whether the inmate really was guilty of his alleged crime or not. I loved the anger and intensity of Way Out, both with regards to the intense dialogue and the harsh beauty of the artwork. 96,000m had the perfect blend of tension, horror, dark humor and a truly morbid ending.

There is only one single criticism that I can come up with for the entirety of Flinch, and that is the unfortunate printing error that is present on page 111 in which the entire page is pixelated and hard to read (an obvious printing or compiling error). It really is a shame too, because this is the only blight on what is otherwise a perfect book.

I simply can’t sing enough praise for Flinch. Those who are already aware of this book would most likely already own it and love it to death as I do, but for anybody else who is yet to pick up this amazing piece of artwork I implore you to do so immediately. You can thank me later (I accept all credit cards and Paypal donations).

ComicsOnline recommends purchasing your copy of Flinch directly from the Madman Entertainment website by following this link. Alternatively, you can check out the other fine wares available from Gestalt Publishing by visiting their online store.

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Flinch 4.5 out of 5 blood-soaked killer tentacle monsters of doom.

Face your fears at ComicsOnline.com and like us on our Facebook page for more comic news, reviews, interviews and everything geek pop culture!