CWR WEEKEND BLOG EXTRA

Here I am, back again with another Blog Extra. And even though I tend to spread out the publishers I cover here, I’m talking about another book from Arcana Comics. Why? Because it’s so damned odd… but kinda good.

The book in question? HELEN KILLER #1, written by Andrew Kreisberg and drawn by JLD Rice. That title isn’t meant to just be a clever pun; the lead character is indeed Helen Keller! Taking a cue from Keller’s youthful assertion of an identity of “Phantom”, the creators have whipped up a scenario about a Helen later in her life. Aided by her real life famous friends like Alexander Graham Bell (again, great use of historical research by the creative team), she is given implements that allow her to use her natural gifts to become a great warrior in her own right. And that prowess draws the attention of the U.S. Government, desperate for help in protecting the President from anarchists.

Presenting Keller as a warrior might sound like a dumb idea, but the story takes it so seriously that it actually elevates it up to “quirky” and fun. And honestly, the story itself isn’t solely responsible. At the end of the comic, Kreisberg offers up an essay on the origins of the book and Keller’s life, and they illuminate his intentions and point of view, and help you take the book a bit more seriously on its own merits.

HELEN KILLER is a book that probably shouldn’t have worked, and that could have come off as offensive. But neither of those turns out to be the case. Who’d have ever guessed?

See you here throughout the week for site updates, or you can friend me on MySpace. And please return next weekend for an all-new Blog Extra!

/Mason