Pete Dako seems to care about recognizable narrative only half the time in his cute little pink comic, Untitled. Two cats fall in love at a disco, smooch, and then weird little creatures start flying around. Ok, that’s love. An alien lands a flying saucer on a planet to take a pee. Ok, that’s pee. A snowman goes skiing, then enjoys a cup o’ joe. Ok, that’s a snowman skiing and a cup o’ joe. A bat-like creature with flowers for eyes flies around with similar creatures, becomes highly distressed, then weeps as a happy face looks on. Ok, that’s ummmm…what is that? I love visual narrative, and there isn’t a single word in this book, but much of Dako’s stuff, which is always full of emotive power, seems to be for an other-worldly audience. Is he missing the point, or erasing it completely? Who knows. Dako is surreal, fun and frustrating. (Shaun Smith)
comic, 32 pages, Pete Dako, $?, 698a Queen St. West, Toronto, ON, N8T 2M7, [email protected]