Writer: Jeff Parker
Artists: Ashish Padlekar, Sheetal Tanaji Patil (colors)
Publisher: Virgin Comics
It all makes sense: the flying fish, the octopi, the glimpses of weird cities. It actually all makes sense. Well, except for the bit about the Irish eating fish, but other than that...
The problem with having a story based on a great mystery or unexplained phenomena is that when the payoff finally comes, the "answer" is often extremely weak (X-Files) or non-existent (anything by David Lynch). The team behind Walk In has provided its readers with an interesting and unexpected explanation that not only functions as an answer to the weirder questions but also opens a door to the next portion of the story, which, by the look of it, could be very different than the beginning.
At this point, you’ve either been reading the comic and, therefore, understand this review, or you haven’t read the book and think the first line here has something to do with sushi gone bad. If you fall into the latter category, I am not recommending issue #5 of Walk In for you. I recommend walking down to your comic store and ordering the first four issues. To jump in on issue #5 will ruin an extremely well crafted setup that makes one of the best expositional story arcs that has surfaced in a long time.
There are a number of things that make Walk In worth reading and, happily, all of them are in issue #5. First and foremost, the characters make the story. The main protagonists are written in such a way that elicits empathy. Most are (seemingly) normal people in tough spots. Had the characterizations been done differently these folk might have seemed whiny, foolish or just plain crazy. However, the characters come off as genuine and thoughtfully written. Even the secondary characters seem to be fleshed out rather than just cardboard cutouts put on stage to push along the plot. Humor, cruelty, bravery and cowardice are all there in the demented soup that makes up the humans in Walk In.
The art in Walk In also stands shoulders above most of the material currently out. In addition to doing a good job of the basics, Mr. Padlekar has to visualize some very difficult concepts here and does an excellent job of it. Some of the images he renders could be just plain silly in the hands of a lesser artist.
Most of all, though, what makes Walk In a story worth reading is the mystery. Just what the Hell is going on here? If you’ve been keeping up with Walk In, pick up issue #5 and you will not be disappointed. If you haven’t, start from the beginning and enjoy the ride.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at http://madbastard.hypersites.com
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