Reviewed By Jorge Solis. A solid thriller with a clever twist, “Never Boy” #1 blurs the thin line between reality and fantasy. An interesting take, this is a dark tale that examines childhood fantasy and the harsh reality of being an adult. Capturing the reader’s attention by surprise, “Never Boy” starts out as one thing, but that twist takes it to a whole new level.
WRITTEN BY: Shaun Simon
ART BY: Tyler Jenkins
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 4, 2015
A young man helps his son rehearse for his big school recital. With his wife occupied with her daily routine, the father attempts to console his child, who has a bad case of stage-fright, and build up his confidence. Unfortunately, the parental figure needs his medication to think clearly and make sense of things. Down to his last pill, the young father struggles to figure out what is truly real and unreal.
Writer Shaun Simon focuses on the relationship between adults and children. Simon uses his main protagonist, who calls himself “Neverboy,” as an unreliable narrator who’s unsure what is reality. When the hallucinations start popping up during the narrative, Simon gives them double meaning, which works well because of the plot twist. Because the big surprise works the first time when you read Simon’s story, you start to see the connections the second time around.
Artist Tyler Jenkins has to illustrate two worlds, reality and fantasy, at the same time. In his character design, Neverboy is tall and grungy, as if he hasn’t matured past his slacker days. Using the coming-of-age themes, Jenkins depicts children with an innocent-like quality. Colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick enhances the surreal aspects of the narrative, especially when Neverboy’s hair loses its tone, due to the lack of medication.
“Neverboy” #1 kicks off to a great start due to its surprising twist. I’m really hoping that the “Neverboy” can keep advancing the story without the surprise factor.