“The Fiction” is a mini-series about a group of friends that discover a collection of books that when read transport the reader to a fantasy world. The friends have incredible adventures together until one of them disappears within the book world never to be seen again. Years later the books have returned to claim another, and it is up to the remaining two, now adults, to reveal the mysteries of the books and rescue their friends. Its part “Jumanji”, and part “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, and its go the most intriguing premise for a mini-series I’ve seen in a long time.
WRITTEN BY: Curt Pires
ART BY: David Rubin
PUBLISHER: BOOM
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: June 17 2015
Though the set up is clear and concise, almost nothing is revealed at all about the books and their powers. Even the magical worlds themselves are hardly realized in this first issue. This issue is the complete setup, and rarely slows down at all acclimate us to the world of the books. When it does slow down it, thankfully, focuses on the characters and relationships.
It begins with an argument between the parents of our protagonists. One of the parents seems to be talking about the occult and rest aren’t interested in hearing it. The father of Tseng, the boy who goes missing, is briefly shown with a demonic looking face and later described to be a cruel man who resented Tseng. I may be easily impressed but I always really appreciate when writers include these somewhat subtle clues and details, they lead to bigger payoffs when the mystery is later solved.
When another friend goes missing we find out that the group never really dealt with the disappearance of Tseng, that for some is was easier to make themselves believed that the truth was far more grim and that the magic books were an invention; a way to cope with something they couldn’t make sense of as children.
These themes of trauma add a great deal of weight to the characters and that argument was the most impressive scene in the book. Pires has come to be a name you can trust and “The Fiction” just might be his strongest title yet. The dialogue is sincere and grounded, the characters have depth, and the mystery is just so delicious, I can’t recommend it enough.