THE OBLIVION TRIALS #1, from Source Point Press on June 29th, 2022, follows Kiko Huang during a chance encounter on a train that leads to his ultimate Judgement. Will he accept his fate or take his chances in the Oblivion Trials?
The Details
- Written By: Brandon Chen, Fred Packard
- Art By: Anderson Carman
- Colors By: Anderson Carman
- Letters By: Zen
- Cover Art By: Anderson Carman
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: June 29, 2022
Was It Good?
THE OBLIVION TRIALS #1 is a fine starting point for a creative fable about the choices we make and the lengths we go to for the chance at better outcomes. If that description sounds like a mouthful, this issue isn’t. On the contrary, it’s a zippy, breezy read which is both for and against the issue’s favor.
The highlight of this issue is the whimsical, mind-bending art by Carman. When Kiko transitions between different settings, each locale is painted with a different color and background style to keep each setting distinctive. This is a supernatural tale, and the art doesn’t play coy with the supernatural visuals and inspiring, Dali-esque reality twists.
There are two down points in this issue. One minor, the other a little more substantial than minor.
First, the minor down point is the fast pace of the issue. Normally, brisk pacing is a positive, but here, it works against the issue because the weight of the events feels glossed over. A woman is assaulted, but it happens in a brief snippet. Kiko transitions to another “world,” and the transition passes in the blink of an eye. Too-high pacing can sometimes indicate too much story crammed into too few pages. There aren’t too many scenes in this issue, but a lot happens in each scene, creating the same, negative effect. Very little of the events have weight because you breeze by them so fast.
The second and more substantial down point is the oddly cavalier attitude of the main character. Kiko experiences one dire event after the other, and the few times you experience his reactions and feelings about the situation, he’s weirdly light-hearted about it. A flashback sets up a tragedy in Kiko’s past that motivates a decision in the present, but you don’t see Kiko bothered by the tragedy or the angst over his current decision. Kiko looks and acts like a guy whose simply going with the flow. His reaction doesn’t fit the situation, and it makes him unrelatable.
Regardless of the ups and downs of the issue, the art, again, is the highlight. The designs, particularly the supernatural backgrounds and characters, are imaginative and memorable. The panel compositions make excellent use of dramatic angles to capture the trippy movements. Overall, this is a visually interesting issue.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Kiko Huang boarding a commuter train to some undescribed location. He makes an effort to find the quietest spot possible. Unfortunately, Kiko’s quiet is disturbed by the memory of a car accident some time ago, a car accident that was his fault and resulted in the death of a loved one.
Now, his quiet is disturbed further by a domestic dispute between a man and woman entering the train car. The couple over the woman’s theft of money, and the man becomes abusive. Kiko intervenes, but through an unfortunate series of events, Kiko exits the train while it’s still moving.
Suddenly, Kiko finds himself falling through swirls of reality-warping chaos before landing in a small boat ferried by a hooded figure. It doesn’t take long for Kiko to figure out his fall from the train killed him, and the ferryman is taking him to whatever afterlife awaits. Kiko is escorted to a massive door that will either send him to Paradies or Oblivion if he accepts judgment. We conclude the issue with Kiko choosing a third option.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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THE OBLIVION TRIALS #1 is an above-average first issue about a series of tragedies that leads to a troubled man making a dangerous choice. The art is excellent, the pacing is (very) high, and the premise is creative. However, the issue suffers from odd tonal inconsistencies in the main character, and the pacing is so high that the dramatic elements don’t have time to breathe.
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