Inkblot
Writer: Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd
Artist: Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd
Publisher: Image Comics
‘Inkblot’ is a joy to read.
You can choose to get lost in the incredible detail of its high concept fantasy, or cruise through it leisurely as merely a fun story about a mischievous cat. Or both, as it begs for repeat readings.
‘Inkblot’ follows a powerful sorceress attempting to correct her greatest mistake: the creation of a magical cat that can travel through time, space, and reality. The cat threatens to unravel the fabric of the universe, it doesn't care, and it just won't listen. Anyone that has lived with a cat knows that they can appear out of nowhere, and vanish just as mysteriously.
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The book revels in the charm and simplicity of its base concept of a naughty cat. It uses the certainty of entertainment this provides to tell ambitious tales of Viking battles, pirate mutinies, haunted forests, and portal monsters. Regularly finding itself right in the middle of these wild adventures – sometimes as the cause – Inkblot can rarely muster up more than a simple, nonchalant “Mow.”
In a year of superb comics, ‘Inkblot’ would always be the first title we’d read before any other every week it was released. It’s cute, fun, and silly, capturing readers’ imaginations with its joyous whimsy. It understands perfectly the core tenets of the Fantasy genre, delivering the epic-scale battles and tense stakes required to satisfy hardcore fans.
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In an interview with Comic-watch.com, Emma Kubert describes how Inkblot came to exist, and what inspired it:
“So, basically, it came from two things: My love of cats - when I was a kid, I had a black cat that was my best friend - and my love of Fantasy. Growing up, I actually didn’t really take to comic books a lot. Basically what I saw was either superhero comics or Cartoon Network kinda comics. And so being a ten year old girl, who wasn’t really into the big muscly men saving the world, I took more to animation, and I took more to a lot of Fantasy genres, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, all of that stuff. So when I really got the chance to start creating my own concept, especially at the Kubert School I went [to], they encourage with a lot of assignments to keep them open enough so that you can create your own stories. And so when I was trying to come up with my own story, I knew it had to be something Fantasy, and it had to be something a bit more epic, just because that was the kind of inspiration, and the kind of stories I was into my entire life.”
‘Inkblot’ is the best type of all-ages title, including being fit for a huge range of people that may not usually read comics. It’s a worthy starting point for a younger child you’re looking to introduce to comics, and will certainly inspire any kids that love to draw. It would also make for a great gift for any fans of Tolkien or Pratchett, or really, anyone that has a cat.
Want more of 2021’s greatest comics? Visit Amazon to purchase the full length ‘Best Comic Books of 2021’ book or eBook. It contains 45 detailed essays reviewing the year's best comic book titles.
After more comic book news and reviews? The Sea Shell mobile app is available worldwide as a free download on the App Store and the Play Store. Download it today.