Living Finger, The – Issue #1 (Comic)
David Gelmini
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Written by Garth Matthams
Illustrated by Armin Ozdic
Available on Comixology
Although it was pretty badly mauled by critics, I’ve always had a soft spot for Oliver Stone’s early horror film The Hand, in which the great Michael Caine plays a comic artist with a hand that literally develops a life of its own. I always felt that it gave us a glimpse of the filmmaker that Stone might have gone on to become had he not become the go-to guy for political thrillers. I was pleasantly surprised to see the new comic The Living Finger, from writer Garth Matthams and illustrator Armin Ozdic, conjured up fond memories of the classic film (classic to me anyway) whilst also being its own thing.
Jason is a somewhat strange and lonely 20-something guy who happens to have a secret… a secret in the form of a living, moving (but not exactly breathing) finger which he keeps locked up in a cage in his house. The title of this comic isn’t metaphorical or symbolic; it actually means exactly what it sounds like. And Jason sure has a lot of love for it.
So yeah, Jason is not exactly what you’d call “normal,” which is why he doesn’t have many friends. So he decides to make one, but he’ll need a body to attach to that finger…
The artwork is sharp and clear, and although those hoping for a more visually stylized approach will be disappointed, it does actually add a cinematic quality to the comic by making it seem as though you’re watching a movie.
As with most standard American comics these days, The Living Finger Issue #1 lasts for a pretty lean 22 pages so while there isn’t a whole lot of plot in the first issue, it still does a good job of telling us what we need to know. And I won’t spoil the ending; man, does it end on one hell of a cliffhanger. Issue #2 cannot come soon enough!
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Comic
Categorized:Reviews
