After a three-month break, Assorted Crisis Events returns this week with another thought-provoking look at humanity with a strong sci-fi twist. The latest issue explores Retro Anterograde Temporal Diminishment (RATD), a metaphor for Alzheimer’s or dementia in which the person afflicted ages up or down at random multiple times a day. One moment they may be peeing the bed at 5 years old, and minutes later they’re in a cubby, lost and afraid at 90. It’s a scary notion, especially told through the eyes of a woman whose husband has RATD.
Outside the premise, Assorted Crisis Events once again stuns with creative layouts that explore the comics medium in new ways. Artist Eric Zawadzki opens the issue with a sheet of paper covering the whole page, a note at the top asking someone to write 7:10 on an analog clock. We see a hand holding the paper down with another holding out a pencil. Lower down, we see conventional comic panels of the woman being yelled at by an unseen child at the other end of the paper. The very next page shows the paper again, this time with a clock drawn and a twenty-something man speaking to his wife. The third page shows the same piece of paper, only with different ages for her husband; all these pages together capture the repetitive nature of this couple’s life as they deal with RATD.
The theme of this issue seems to be the helpful aids we use in day-to-day life. Later, Zawadski draws a brochure that becomes a significant point of contention because it details special nursing homes for those with RATD. Another section uses a puzzle to convey all the memories the couple has together before the husband gets RATD. There are conventional layouts in between, but it’s in these creative visual ideas that the comic excels in capturing your imagination.
You get in her head and see how hard life can be.
Credit: Image
As far as the story, writer Deniz Camp explores the trauma and emotional complexity one goes through when being a caretaker. Much of what the wife experiences is likely to connect with many who have dealt with a child or a parent in mental decline. More importantly, Camp makes a strong case that when you love someone enough to care for them, it’s not about the good days or the bad adding up on either side, but being present with them in the moment. It’s a touching element, and one many will take heart in.
If you’re looking for connective tissue to the larger story, this issue is light on that aspect. There’s a moment where we see the time traveler, but it’s more of a low-point connection than anything that calls back to what came before or to where the larger story is going.
Assorted Crisis Events #6 is a story that’ll have you reflecting on whether you could handle the journey the main character goes through. It’s not an easy journey for her, but it’s one that is relatable, as the series continues to show a keen sense of empathy and care in revealing the trials millions go through every day.
Assorted Crisis Events #6 is a haunting, compassionate, and formally daring piece of comics storytelling. By framing its science-fiction concept as both metaphor and lived experience, Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadzki craft a tale that’s as much about losing a loved one whose presence is as much as it is about love’s endurance through time. It’s a comic that challenges the medium, engages the heart, and lingers in your thoughts long after the final page.
You must be logged in to post a comment.