In a Cloud of Smoke and Ink: A Stage Dive into Jasper Jubenvill’s Explosive Comic
Jasper Jubenvill throws out a warning like a fortune cookie: “Be calm, stay alert, and don’t let the nightmares get you.” He’s talking about his latest whirlwind, the fourth installment of the Dynamite Diva series: “The Engine Whispers.” This hefty comic, weighing in at over a hundred pages, took two years to create—a Michelin-starred comic feast that leaves you begging for an encore.
The elements cook on high: raw, visceral storytelling, Diva’s escapades and disputes, all spiraling into dreamy, climactic showdowns. It’s like a Cirque du Soleil performance inside a mosh pit—resplendent, chaotic, yet ultimately an exhibition of Jubenvill’s controlled frenzy. He transforms Diva’s usual thirty-page episodes into a gritty narrative tapas bursting with inky blacks and bold lines.
Embracing the Heart within the Heartless
This comic dips into bloody puddles, its ink-smeared aesthetics nodding to the ’70s exploitation genre while simultaneously challenging it. What sets it apart from previous issues is the peculiar pulse beating beneath all that blood and gore—the very soul of heart and redemption within an anti-hero born in the swamplands of thriller, action, detective, vigilante, and exploitation genres.
Diva’s journey becomes a bid to mend fences, seeking a loftier version of herself in the dystopia she navigates. Her dreamscapes and psychological interiors become literal rooms for growth, as she confronts and banishes her inner demons in an intense display of psycho-sexual déjà vu.
Stroll Down ‘No-Times Lane’
“The Engine Whispers” stands out for its fluid setting. Tenderly set in the twilight years following World War II, it weaves a hazy timelessness within the inky noir of Diva’s world. Picture yourself straddling two worlds—the nostalgia of a bygone era and our current reality. Don’t panic if that sounds trippy; that’s the idea. Jubenvill retunes Diva’s frequency so it hums a melody that bleeds into ‘now’ and ‘then,’ letting reality shape-shift through the comic’s lens.
The action goes beyond Diva as a ‘badass.’ Jubenvill introduces a trio of testosterone-fueled dudes—Merlin, Archer, and a shadowy cab-driver. Each character exposes societal cracks and sheds light on how cultural makeup molds us into conflict-stirring figures. The story drapes contemporary injustices in fantastical threads, urging readers to scrutinize biases and their impact.
A Trajectory of Redemption
“The Engine Whisper”’s final act is Diva’s psychological odyssey to redemption, with other characters also undergoing transformations. Archer, the grizzled cop stuck in antiquated ways, is counterbalanced by his new partner, Mimeko, who uses her advanced investigative skills to navigate justice’s convoluted paths.
Merlin, a villain with a side job, finds himself targeted by Balthazar, similar to Diva. It’s like watching two different horrors unfold on the same haunted roller-coaster ride. The gruesome spectacle’s outcome? It’s crazy, psycho-sexual, and therapeutic, transforming vengeance and rage.
Applause for the Visuals & Technique
Jubenvill amps up his art game like a guitarist gone wild on stage. His use of dense black and white pigments storms across each page, deeply nuanced and captivating despite the pulsating action. You might find yourself engrossed by the orchestrated chaos, chuckling at the quirky fake ads and pin-ups scattered throughout.
The car chases and battles, infused with a ‘Twisted Metal’ vibe, add fast-paced excitement. True to its raw look, the visuals indulge in grotesque and unabashedly explicit scenes. The result is a riotous, hypnotic roller-coaster ride eliciting equal measures of gapes and chuckles.
Though peppered with warped humor, “The Engine Whispers” instigates an unsettling undercurrent, forcing readers to consider the exhaustive range of issues it unravels. Between the hammer-smashed faces and transformative snake-penises, this comic doles out trouble in spades—and yet, we’re all here for it. Just bring a helmet.
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Image credit: www.tcj.com
