Page 45 Review by Jonathan
"I'm sorry I took the form of your daughter.
"She gave me permission... she was the only person in your mind I thought you would listen to...
"I'm sure you must be very confused."
"I..."
Ah, Dash Shaw, a man who loves his metaphysics, philosophy, speculative thinking and just generally fucking with your head in his comics. Here he manages to not only do that with us but also his characters as, after their expiration and entry into the unknown limbo of what lies beyond, they are going to get a rather unexpected wake-up call.
For Doctor Cho has invented a device called the Charon, allowing for the temporary resuscitation of a deceased individual - though only for a finite number of day or weeks - in theory to allow loved ones to say their final goodbyes properly, and the reanimated to set their affairs in order. It's a top secret procedure, of course, available only to those ultra-wealthy and in the know, as Doctor Cho and his assistant, his daughter Tammy, are understandably wary of what would happen if the wider world found out.
There's just one small, weeny catchette. So far, every single patient they have brought back - by inserting them into someone's remaining consciousness in the guise of a loved one to tell them they have passed over but can return if they so choose - has ended up going stark raving bonkers. It's probably not going to be too long before the authorities cotton on to what's happening...
Great fun, this, and nice to see Dash doing something fairly short form but still substantial, plot-wise. I do love his really brief minis like NEW JOBS and 3 NEW STORIES, but you don't get enough with those to get a handle on what his writing is really like, and his very chunky longer works like BODYWORLD, THE BOTTOMLESS BELLY BUTTON, THE UNCLOTHED MAN IN THE 35th CENTURY A.D. and NEW SCHOOL can possibly look a bit daunting for those unfamiliar with him, I suspect. This, I reckon, neatly encapsulates what he's all about: surreal, haunting, hilarious pieces that are illustrated in his own inimitable fashion in what looks like pretty much just a black felt tip pen. He makes it look so bloody easy, but in reality, that's just another way he's fucking with you.
