Into The Thicket by Mark Antonius Puhkan (Mini Kus! #125)

Puhkan’s art immediately brought to mind the black-and-white work of Charles Burns and his bold thick confident line weight, with a dash of the fine line details and wide-eyed photo-realism of a practitioner like Gary Frank. The total artistic package on display here is so pleasing to the eye. In fact, it wasn’t until my second reading of the book that I even noticed there’s no words or dialogue, a testament to Puhkan’s panel-to-panel storytelling ability and engaging style. The protagonist appears to be searching for something as he delves deeper Into The Thicket, perhaps something lost, something essential, something missing, echoing man’s inextricable connection to Mother Nature. Thematically, I think Puhkan is playing with the idea that as we follow our own creations, paths, and social advancements, it may be to our ruin, and that may or may not be inevitable. If that’s the case in life, we can either choose to believe in our fears, which are of our own making, or reject them in favor of eternal hope springing forth.