Who or what is the Eye Collector? This question will run through your mind as you unpack The Eye Collector #1, out this week in comic book shops. It’s a comic that is as bizarre as it is technical in its artistry, blending photographs, digital effects, and hand-drawn art. It’s a first issue that will linger with you thanks to the striking art, while never quite leaving your mind as you ponder…where is the Eye Collector?
At its core, The Eye Collector is a space story. It opens with astronauts readying to lift off on a mission to the moon. The very first panel, if you can call it that, is their root around the moon, with the moon making up the cornea and the white between the ships orbiting the white of an eye. Captions discuss a nursery rhyme, an inherently creepy thing to begin with, before one of the astronauts comes face-to-face with a monster.
The design of said monster is quite something, as it shape-shifts and evolves in every which way. The only consistent thing about it is its giant mouth and many teeth, and the fact that it has multiple eyes floating about. Seemingly an alien, but could be something out of cosmic horror, it can read the astronaut’s mind, and it sees something quite dark there. At times it’s larger than a building, and at others it’s small enough to peer through the shuttle window.
Quite a first page.
Credit: Image
It’s also not a silent creature. It speaks to the astronaut, and speaks to missing humanity. It doesn’t go much deeper than this, but as a kind of monster under the bed, it does enough.
To say this comic is trippy is an understatement. In one full-page splash, we see a space shuttle bending impossibly, overlaid with eyes, with astronauts and buildings at the bottom, all next to a giant eye. In another, we see circles and eyes forming a symmetrical shape that surrounds a shuttle hanging in space, with the Earth hanging below it angelically.
As for the story, this issue is more about myth-building around the Eye Collector as it interacts with an astronaut. Could there have been more plot and plot progression? Definitely, although GMB Chomichuk’s art is dazzling stuff and seems to do more than any complex plot could. The layout structure alone is compelling and interesting, making this more of an art piece than a bona fide story with a central conflict. That isn’t to say it doesn’t set something up, as the next issue will likely bring a heap of disturbing conflict to the table.
The Eye Collector #1 succeeds as an immersive and deeply strange first issue that prioritizes mood, imagery, and mystery above straightforward storytelling. Jonathan Ball and Chomichuk craft a comic that feels part science fiction, part cosmic horror, and part experimental art piece. The title creature immediately captures the imagination through its shifting design and cryptic dialogue, while the visual presentation constantly finds new ways to surprise and unsettle. Readers looking for clear answers or a traditional narrative structure may leave with more questions than solutions, but those willing to embrace the unknown will find a comic unlike anything else on the shelves this week. The story remains enigmatic, yet the atmosphere and artistry make a powerful first impression.
You must be logged in to post a comment.