Krello
Comic, Kanekiel, 14 pgs, kanekiel.bigcartel.com, $15
Krello, from what I can gather, is the first comic effort from Toronto illustrator Kanekiel. It sees a couple deal with an alien crash landing in their backyard. Without being too critical, Krello certainly feels like a debut effort, with its pages feeling more like an excerpt from a larger work than they do a piece of a serialized narrative. What little dialogue there is feels stilted, and things just sort of end without any resolution or hints towards what might come next. Kankiel favours large panels that are mostly close ups of characters. This, coupled with dialogue balloons that tend towards only one or two words, makes the comic feel even shorter. It’s as if there could be much more going.
Art-wise, I don’t think Krello does a particularly good job showcasing Kanekiel’s skills. The dark background colours often make things difficult to see, even against better lit, interior backdrops things aren’t much better, with characters standing in front of a dark brown bookshelf or just as murky walls. Krello herself arrives in a bright blue uniform before throwing on a black band t-shirt. It’s a little muddled, which isn’t fair given how bright and vibrant Kanekiel’s illustration work is otherwise.
A first published work shouldn’t be the bar by which someone’s efforts are measured, and though Krello left me wanting a bit more from it as a comic, there certainly seems to be a great deal of talent behind it and Kanekiel’s talent as a whole.