Mind the Gap #8

Written by Jim McCann
Art by Rodin Esquejo

As this series continues, I find that my enjoyment of it only grows.  This issue has a lot happening in it - coma patient Elle's time borrowing the body of young Katie comes to a close, but this time has been very productive in terms of helping us understand what is going on.

It's been clear for a little while that Min, Elle's mother, is behind the attack that put her in the hospital, and that she's working for or with someone only referred to as 'The Fifth', but this issue also makes  clear the extent to which her father is involved, and how he feels about that.

The further we get into this series, the more impressed I am with the way in which Jim McCann's characters exert themselves on the page.  This is a complicated series, but each character has a distinctive voice, and that is a huge part of the book's success.  I've begun to care about what happens to Min, and to look forward to seeing some of these other characters get what they deserve.  I still find Dr. Geller the most compelling person in the book.

Rodin Esquejo's art is fantastic, but I find that every time he chooses not to centre a panel on the principal characters, it's because there is some kind of clue there.  Many panels in this comic focus on a person's shoulder or just cuts off their faces, as if Esquejo wanted to save time by not drawing their expressions.  Or because he is trying to point something out.  It's that kind of book - you find yourself always questioning what information is being given to you.  Really, that's the appeal.