There aren’t many comics on sale these days like Beyond Real. The fifth and final issue – on sale this week from Vault Comics – definitely encapsulates everything that makes this mini-series different from the pack. It again features a variety of creative art styles, while also bringing the narrative to an emotionally satisfying conclusion.
I assume if you’re reading this review, you’ve probably read the other issues in the series. The first four were a bit up and down for me. I absolutely love issue #1 – for its intriguing concept, deep existential musings and fabulous art by Fabiana Mascolo and Jordie Bellaire. Issue #2 was, on the first read, a bit of a letdown – but has grown on me with each re-read, as I discover more and more interesting details in Toni Fejzula’s art. Vincenzo Riccardi’s amazing art alone makes issue #3 incredible. But issue #4 is not the strongest – with a somewhat condensed story trying to pack one and a half chapters (and two different art teams) into one issue.
And so, I started Beyond Real #5 wondering if I would walk away satisfied or not – then realizing I was hoping for quite a few things.
Vault Comics
First off, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering always satisfies. As he’s done in every issue, he changes up the lettering in each section to match that artist’s style, literally making the lettering a part of the art. It’s truly amazing what tricks and techniques he uses to make every word balloon and narrative caption fit. I certainly think he’s worthy of winning the Eisner this year for best letterer.
Moving on, what sets Beyond Real apart from most comics is the use of a different art team for each new layer of reality explored. Actually – as writer Zack Kaplan has stated often – the whole miniseries is a love letter to artists and a metaphor for the creative process. And Beyond Real #5 takes this experimental approach to the extreme by including four sections with four different art teams. It actually works perfectly as a final issue – like a summary of the whole series – even though some sections are better than others.
Vault Comics
The first act continues where Beyond Real #4 left off, in a plane of reality drawn by Jorge Corona with colors by Mattia Iacono. Although Corona’s figures aren’t my favorite, Iacono’s colors really dominate this section – wonderfully symbolizing the darkness of despair and the light of redemption. There’s obvious visual reference to the phoenix, boldly rising, reborn in fire.
Then, June abruptly finds herself in a reality drawn by Luana Vecchio. The change is very striking, because all of the illustrations in this section are left as pencils without inks or colors. There’s obviously a lot of symbolism going on here, too – probably more than I picked up on. Like life, this section remains unfinished, a work in progress. Without giving away anything, it’s a very tender, caring scene, both in the story as well as the art.
Vault Comics
June is then sent back to the layer of reality featured in the first half of issue #4, but this time drawn and colored by Liana Kangas. The colors are as lively and psychedelic as the amazing art in issue #3, but the characters and figures just don’t look quite as good. The images are beautiful in their own way, but unfortunately a bit forgettable compared to the rest.
Finally, a minor spoiler: as I always expected, the series ends with June’s return to the “real” world in a very Wizard of Oz kind of way – wondering if it was all just a dream. This denouement is done by issue #1’s excellent art team of penciller Fabiana Mascolo and colorist Jordie Bellaire. And once again, they are fantastic. The facial expressions and mannerisms look authentic. The framing, panel structures and backgrounds all look wonderful. Along with Vincenzo Riccardi from issue #3, they’re my favorite art team from the miniseries.
Vault Comics
As for the story, I was, of course, anxious to find out if June would finish her original mission of reaching the Creator of the simulation that is her normal reality. Besides the metaphysical and even theological implications of it all, June was hoping that the Creator would have the editorial rights to save her boyfriend, Eli, from a coma.
Well, I don’t want to spoil the issue for you, so I’m not going to reveal any of that. I will mention that the story comes to an emotionally satisfying ending for all three characters. I found a few aspects of the conclusion to be somewhat ambiguous, a little too open to interpretation. But it satisfied me all the same.
Vault Comics
Unfortunately, I was once again let down a bit by the lack of further exploration into the existential and philosophical questions that naturally arise out of a simulation theory of reality. The opening page does flashback to June and Eli lying on top of their car, looking at the stars and musing about these questions, but that’s about it. This theme – which I enjoyed so much in the first issue – regrettably never became the central focus of Beyond Real.
Instead, Kaplan – much like the Matrix films – uses the concept of simulation theory to write a story about what we can and cannot control in our reality. And he does so with a very wise, almost holistic approach.
So, I’ll conclude with the message I took out of Beyond Real #5. Yes, some things in life are completely out of our control, like they’ve been preprogrammed to happen. And yes, some of those things involve pain and suffering. But we are in control of what we do with those things, including how we deal with the pain and suffering. How we see things – our perception of reality itself – and how we react makes all the difference.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login