An investigative journalist teams up with an urban explorer to dive deep into the city’s depths, and her own memory.  Your Major Spoilers review of Blink #1, awaits!

BLINK #1

Writer: Christopher Sebela
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Nick Filardi
Letterer: Frank Cvetovic
Editor: Jasmine Amiri
Publisher: Oni Press
Cover Price: $3.99
Release date: July 27th, 2022

Previously in Blink: Wren Booker was three when she was found catatonic and covered in blood on the streets of New York. Since that day, she’s been haunted by a childhood she can’t remember.

MEMORIES AND DISCOVERIES

Blink #1 opens with main character Wren, experiencing a bout of sleep paralysis, complete with a cyclops demon.  The next morning she wakes up and begins writing an article.  During which she’s distracted by something she’s been working on called Project Zero, which is an investigation into things from her past that she can’t seem to remember.  She then becomes obsessed with it, straining her relationship with her boyfriend Nico.  This culminates in her taking a trip to meet with an urban explorer named Joel.  Together they climb into an abandoned building that resembles flashes from Wren’s memory.  While in there they discover an old computer terminal running old camera footage.  Before they can finish up their search, the pair are interrupted by something still living within the walls.

A POWERFUL REPRESENTATION OF OBSESSION

Blink #1 has an intriguing mystery going on in the background.  The truth about Wren’s past and everything she’s forgotten is a nice carrot on a string to lead the readers around.  There are some cliches going on here, with the use of amnesia and purposely obscuring the nature of the past, but these can be forgiven as they’re not done poorly.  It’s the way that this issue emphasizes how obsessed she’s become over revealing these secrets that’s the best part of this book.  Over the course of the 26 pages, we see Wren go from having a fairly decent grasp on her trauma to completely unraveling at just the mere hint of discovering the truth.  What’s even more heartbreaking is that she’s aware of how destructive her behavior is and the effect it’s having on her partner. Even with this self-awareness, she’s not able to stop and instead justifies her actions by saying that the only way they can be happy is if she finishes what she started.

GREAT VISUAL STORYTELLING

The artwork in Blink #1 has both great coloring, especially when going from the dream state at the beginning into real-world events.  In addition to this, the colors and linework is top-notch, especially with the backgrounds and scenery.  The most impressive artwork though comes from the usage of the panels to help express Wren’s mental state.  Many of the panels focusing on Wren are awkwardly shaped and at unusual angles, with flashes from her past overlaid to show how these memories are affecting her mental state.  It all comes together to help convey the central theme of the issue without having to bluntly state it.

BOTTOM LINE:  A SERIES TO GET IN ON

Blink #1 finds a near perfect balance between telling a solid mystery tale with being a character study on the effects of obsession and the pitfalls of searching for something that’s been lost.  This paired with wonderful art and a unique approach to page layouts, makes this a solid pick up. 5 out of 5 stars.