Brain Boy #3

Van Lente has delighted readers thus far with Brain Boy. The book has a premise that may not be enough to tale a completely unique story, at first glance. However, after getting deeper into the experience Lente has made this comic completely unique. It is a shame that the two creators of the title have no yet again the approval from the comics press they deserve on how strong the pair has proven to be. The last issue took a huge turn for the surreal, as Brain Boy has managed to get into some bizarre supernatural issues. In the first couple of installments, the writer has unfortunately slightly struggle to build a supporting cast around the interesting protagonist, but has achieved some greatness with really fleshing out the sense of paranoia that the lead character is constantly experiencing throughout the book. Being a Brain Boy may not be as easy as it looks.

 

Brain Boy has a really muddy plot that needs to pair down the writing in the next arc. Hopefully, the book will have a bigger sense of focus coming into the zero issue hitting next month. The love interest for the character is delved into further, but readers are only given the most passing glance into her motivations. The passive aggressive narration from Lente is still a very nice aspect of the series, and gives the whole thing room to grow in an interesting manner. If this story really serves a vehicle for Silva to go crazy, the scribe really does give him some interesting things to draw in this book. A page with a person vomiting, is one of the most visually dynamic parts of the title.

 

A gigantic part of this book’s distinctive personality is the art of R.B. Silva. The penciller has really melded the series with a look it’s own. Silva is immensely talented, and so stylized that readers can pinpoint the artist’s work with one look. This project seems like it was crafted from the ground up with the artist, due to the fact that he draws many of the things that he specializes in. He excels at drawing the surreal with a irony peppered in the writing. The two have such a clear vision of what they are trying do together, that the concept is beyond admirable. Another great aspect of the visuals here include Silva’s uncanny knack for some wonderfully expressive facial features. Unlike some artists, one glance is all that is required to really nail down what the characters are thinking or feeling at any given moment. The artist does a great job making every different facet of the title look completely unique. A big example occurs, when the panel contrasting the big purple demons, and humans is considered. The penciller also experiments with some visually dynamic splash pages that makes the series a joy to read. Hopefully, he will get even more ambitious and join the ranks of Jamie McKelvie or J.H. Williams, and really start to toy with the very nature of the medium.

Lente’s writing falls short in comparison to the beautiful work in Silva in this issue. The writer still has plenty of chances to go back on the rails with the zero issue launching next month.