Obscure Comic of the Month is a column where I take a look at a comic or series that hasn't really been talked about. This covers independent comics, zines, weird spin-offs, webcomics and more.
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X,Y,Z by Iqbal A. and Aleksandar Bozic - 2018 Mild Frenzy
Contains Mild Spoilers
One of the great things about exhibiting at comic conventions it that if you're lucky you end up with a table adjacent to somebody really interesting. Sometimes they're an artist who's been on the convention circuit for a while, sometimes they're a creator fresh out of art school, sometimes they're the person that ran the Fallout themed 'Ask Caesar' RP Tumblr account back in 2014.
For 2023's Lakes International Comic Art Festival, I was seated next to Iqbal Ali, who I had a great time chatting with as a fellow creator. We traded stories about the woes of getting decent printings while self publishing, working with artists and just getting the work out there. That and dealing with the dodgy condensation under the marquee that we had to deal with.
But never mind how we got along personally. This column isn't for that. This column is about the comics themselves. Iqbal had a lot of decent stuff out there, but it was X,Y,Z that immediately drew my eye. It's stark, moody cover immediately intrigued me, and I was willing to jump right in even before I knew what the premise was.
X,Y, Z tells the story of Abn. An Asian student at an otherwise all white school who, already under immense pressure from the prejudices of his peers and teachers, finds himself drawn into a supernatural mystery surrounding a mysterious book 'How to Disappear Completely.' Soon enough Abn has to contend with the manifestation of unusual powers and the machinations of a nefarious entity that may be a representation of his own secret desires.
Textually X,Y, Z operates on a weirdness level equal to 2001's Donnie Darko (With a touch of 2015's Life is Strange). A socially awkward young man finds himself entangled with powers beyond his comprehension. X,Y, Z's characters have a great amount of depth, even the most antagonistic have at least some degree of sympathy to them, and Abn often finds allies where he once expected to find enemies. There's action, drama, disaster and epiphany. All good stuff in a comic that is direct and to the point.
Bozic's art is suited perfectly to the story, harkening just enough back to the traditional style of old 'school boy' comics from Britain's yesteryear while still giving it a sharp grit to keep you grounded in the story. Simple but palpable expressions help us experience the inner turmoil within the characters, while supernatural entities whizz from panel to panel, drawing our eye from action to action. All in a crisp black and white that gives the story an almost timeless quality.
It's sub-textually that X,Y, Z's greater strengths manifest, however. The meaning of the story is right there in the title. X,Y, Z with three arrows pointing across three different axis. This is representative, of course, of the subjects of maths and physics that Abn studies and also harnesses in his search for a higher purpose, but the three axis also represent his struggle for direction.
All throughout the story Abn is tormented over which direction he wishes to take his life. X, Y or Z. Assimilation, Rejection or Destruction. The staff and students of the school are constantly pushing Abn to change and become one with the crowd. To disregard what makes him him and ultimately become someone else in the name of an easy life. Conversely, the dark force inside of him wants to push Abn on a path of vengeance and accumulated power. To go beyond ambition and give in to anger and aggression.
Abn himself merely wants to, as the book he wields promises, disappear completely, but as these two forces begin to influence his life in greater ways, he realises such an escape is impossible.
Ultimately, the story is about realising that such binary direction is a false conclusion. Abn doesn't have to choose, life isn't about absolutes, and in the end he overcomes the pressures of all three demands to become his own person, driven only by his own decisions and his own road.
X,Y, Z is an absorbing comic with a sharp script and sharper pace. It handles it's subject matter with a maturity that doesn't easily give in to nihilism, and it's themes are both specific and universal. I had a great time with it.
Iqbal Ali is going to be at Harrogate Thought Bubble next month, so if you're passing by be sure to check him out. I highly recommend X, Y, Z and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
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Jack Harvey 2023. X, Y, Z (c) 2018 Iqbal Ali. Images used under Fair Use.
