More than just a writer, more than just a science-fiction icon, Benjamin J. Carp was a cultural revolutionary. Across 44 novels and hundreds of short stories—including the counterculture classic The Man They Couldn’t Erase—Carp pushed the boundaries of literary respectability for the sci-fi genre and his readers’ perception of reality itself . . . until decades of amphetamine abuse and Southern California excess finally ended a mind-bending career that always just escaped mainstream success. He died in 1982. It’s now 2025 and Benjamin J. Carp awakens in a burned-out motel in Los Angeles. Benjamin #1 is the beginning of a strange trip and we’re here for the insanity.
Written by Ben H. Winters, Benjamin #1 is an intriguing beginning of a comic that feels like a drug induced wild ride of a dream. The tone of what we can expect comes early on as Carp admits to his new companion that he was on a lot of drugs when he was writing. It’s at that point it feels like maybe the reader should partake to and get the full experience of the read. But, even without a chemical enhancement, Benjamin #1 is an intriguing read that sets of a mystery that’s as much sci-fi as it is some meta adventure.
Leomacs‘ art is solid, capturing the dreamlike nature of the story that mixes between hard reality and ethereal ride. There’s a mystery as to the bigger picture and it raises questions as to the return of Benjamin to the world. Leomacs is joined by Luca Bertelè on colors and Becca Carey on lettering. The art captures the weirdness of the comic with visuals that feel like a mix of Philip K. Dick, Douglas Adams, and Hunter S. Thompson.
Benjamin #1 is the start of a weird mystery that sucks the reader in with its visuals, humor, and just strange oddity of it all. There’s the hint of a meta story and a story within the story all adding to the big swing of it all. And it work, it works really well. Benjamin #1 is a debut that’ll get you coming back for more and one you don’t want to muss.
Benjamin #1 comes to shops June 18.
Story: Ben H. Winters Art: Leomcs
Color: Luca Bertelè Letterer: Becca Carey
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Third Eye Comics – Kindle
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Source: Graphic Policy
