by Joe Schickman, Reporter

Official Description:

In Klik Klik Boom, readers meet Sprout, a mute assassin who communicates exclusively through polaroid pictures. After being raised by her doomsday-prepping grandfather in the rolling hills of Idaho, Sprout has grown up with little exposure to other people, TV, or seen clothes outside of Army fatigues. Now she’s headed to the big lights of New York City to avenge her grandfather’s murder, but will the city’s mesmerizing glitz and glam help her succeed—or be the death of her?

Creative Team:

Writer: Doug Wagner

Artist: Doug Dabbs

Colorist: Matt Wilson

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Designer: Erika Schnatz

Who is the mysterious pink haired girl leaving polaroids of her journey through Manhattan? Initially innocent enough, her exuberance over these vignettes and their everyday contents suggests that she is not a typical sightseer, and her completely atypical reactions to experiences throughout the city suggest that she is more than out of her element. These occurrences shift from merely abnormal to suddenly dangerous as she opens a bag filled with polaroids all depicting the same man, and draws out a handgun before walking into the Second National Bank. Moments later shots are fired. 

We receive few answers and many more questions in succession through a flashback centering on the man from the girl’s bag of polaroids, and it is revealed that he is a Vietnam War veteran who was training the girl in stealth and combat, proud of her for besting him in the latest exercise. We get more information from a podcast journalist named Serena Biggs who has been following the strange girl’s seemingly random sightings, tracking that she has been visiting companies secretly owned by Minerva World Services, another topic of interest in her investigations. 

The mystery deepens when Biggs attempts to inquire further with Minerva World Services only to be turned away at the outset, then is unknowingly followed by Minerva World Services muscle as she leaves, as well as another interested party snapping polaroids while tailing both groups. Everything comes to a head as the muscle attacks Biggs only to be taken out by the pink haired shutterbug. In the scuffle, Biggs loses consciousness. 

Upon waking, Biggs meets her savior, and realizes that it is the same girl she has been investigating, but will she get the answers she’s been looking for, or only more questions?

The creative team behind Klik Klik Boom have the difficult task of dropping readers into the middle of a mystery surrounding an enigmatic character who can offer no exposition. To balance this, they wisely pair her with another character whose job it is to investigate and provide verbal context, allowing for unobtrusive explanations to be seamlessly woven in. Doug Wagner’s writing feels natural and compelling with dialogue that you can hear as you read. Doug Dabbs lays out panels that are a steady accompaniment to the sparse dialogue, showing everything that the silent character cannot tell, while Matt Wilson’s coloring creates subtly effective transitions between the various settings, giving each location a grounded feel of space and time. The overall effect draws the reader along and begs the questions, how did we get here and what will happen next? This intrigue is furthered by the great looking cover art teased for issue two. 

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Klik Klik Boom #1 – 3.5/5 shakes of a polaroid picture.

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