Power Out

by Nathan Schreiber

Power Out is a webcomic on the act-i-vate site, the first volume of which has just been published.  I don't read web comics, and bought this slim volume on the strength of it being the 2009 Xeric Award winner.

This is a really powerful comic.  My only complaint is that it doesn't tell a complete story, but is instead the first volume of a series, the length of which I don't know.

The story is set in some New England suburb, and features Justin, a fourteen year old kid who doesn't fit in at school, and would prefer to spend his days playing video games.  The kid is set up as a complete loner - he barely speaks throughout the comic, and could be a little autistic based on what we are shown of his life and interactions.

When his parents go on a cruise, he is left home with his older sister.  She promptly has a party, and then takes off for a week-end at the shore, leaving Justin completely alone.  Normally he would be quite happy with this turn of events, but a massive black-out kills any chance he has of playing video games without interruption.  Instead, Justin is at the mercy of the intense heat wave gripping his town and of his own inability to relate or interact with people.

Not much happens in this volume, but it's all in the way not much happens.  Schreiber is really inside Justin's head, and does a wonderful job of capturing both the callousness of teenagers and the confusion of adolescence.  As a reader, you feel for Justin, but at the same time, you recognize that you wouldn't particularly like him if you met him in life.

Schreiber's art is a little like David Lapham's, and he does a great job at showing peoples' expressions.  I particularly like his establishing shots - the cover had a huge appeal to me.  The interiors are coloured with only the same shade of blue as you see on the cover, and this was a very effective choice.  The book is published by Canal Press out of BC, and they use a type of ink that is almost glows on the page, providing an aesthetic experience I really enjoyed.

Recommended.