Review: Clone

Review by David Ferguson

Art by Tara Ferguson
Story by Tara Ferguson and Hugo Boylan
Colours by Rebecca Reynolds
Letters by Kerrie Smith

Hugo Boylan is a nice guy. Very easy to talk to. I think this comes from the fact that he empties any darkness in his soul into the pages of his comics. I’d liken his work to the TV series, Black Mirror. He creates dark done-in-one stories often in a science fiction setting. You are going to get a bit of weirdness in his story. Weirdness that stays with you after you are finished reading the story. Given that Tara Ferguson is co-writer, she seems to have a similar tone so it will be interesting to see what she produces if she ever decides to fly solo. This one, as the title suggests, covers the subject of cloning. It deals with the ethical issues of cloning (are they real people?), what really makes a person and what breaks one. In this story, he is greatly aided by Tara Ferguson’s art style. There is a simplicity to the art that enables her to show small differences in the various characters that would have been lost in an overly detailed depiction. It allows a complex story to be told without confusing the reader. Story is told in subtle facial expressions and the characters’ body language. I liked the insertion of black pages that creates an easy feeling and you almost feel like you are blacking out for a moment (or is it longer?). Along with Rebecca Reynolds’ colours and Kerrie Smith’s lettering, it really adds to the psychology of the story. There is something about the nature of Rebecca Reynolds’ colours that makes the story creepier. They seem to be so alive and normal and contrast with the weirdness of the story. Kerrie Smith’s lettering allows some of the dialogue to linger in the background while that part of the story waits to pounce. Hugo Boylan and Kerrie Smith are frequent collaborators and this shows in the work as lettering becomes an important element of the story. Another interesting psychological piece of work.