Larange Enters the Corn Void
Comic, Amanda Berlind, 18 pgs, amandaberlind.com, $25
Larange Enters the Corn Void is a fictional, character-driven tale that follows Larange — a blue acute triangle with googly yet kind eyes — as he navigates a world wallpapered in kaleidoscope-like landscapes. The psychedelic setting may look completely otherworldly to us humans, but for Larange it’s simply the grocery store.
Real-world concepts like inflation are juxtaposed against humorous food items like licorice fish and moose hoof. Aside from inflation, all is well until Larange crosses paths with Martha, a pink obtuse triangle with a heart-shaped mouth. Larange has a massive crush on Martha, and after an unexpected invite, he spends most of the story in a quest for corn paste to bring to Martha’s party.
Berlind employs some unique spelling choices that reinforce a strange, psychedelic world that somehow still feels tethered to ours. These spelling choices are inconsistently applied, but complement an offbeat and creative use of language that is fun to read throughout. Readers may get the feeling that there is more being said in this story than what initially meets the eye, which makes for enjoyable repeated trips to this world.
Larange’s journey through the Corn Void harkens to an abstract version of Alice in Wonderland. I wish this portion of the story was longer and riddled with more obstacles for Larange to overcome. Perhaps those are challenges for a future tale in this magical place.
The writer and illustrator of this zine, Amanda Berlind, is also a musician. Berlind’s audio sensibilities come through in her illustrations, which seem to pulse on the page and vibrate to a sonic frequency not normally visible to humans. Lagrange’s complex and colourful landscapes come to life on large letter-size, spiral-bound pages.