Review: Khaos Komix Vol. 2

Artist(s): Tab Kimpton.

The second collection of Khaos Komix, a webcomic recounting the life of queer teenagers, focuses on the lesbian couple of Amber and Nay.

As with the first collection, each character’s story is told around the same main events (how the characters met, how they dealt with being queer and with falling in love), giving us multiple point of views. But of course, each story adds to the sum total of the series, either by enriching the background of the characters or by continuing a part of the story that was begun in another chapter. It might be nothing original, structurally speaking, but that’s not the point: the point is that author Tab Kimpton is clearly in complete control of his work, and it’s a pleasure to follow the lives of these characters.

Amber and Nay

Kimpton has a knack for navigating between humor and pathos, between absurd situations and real-life concerns. That is also apparent in his art, which borrows from various traditions, with manga-like cuteness spreading all over the pages, and serious effort put into facial expression and body language. But this series is far from being a light read. Without spoiling anything, I can say that Amber and Nay’s relationship isn’t all smooth sailing, any more than the boys’ in the first collection was. Some of the emotional conflict the girls have to go through is rather heart-wrenching. Not to say that it’s easy for straight teenagers to fall in love for the straight time, but there’s obviously some added difficulties for queer ones. And Tab Kimpton is the right artist to tell the stories of these teenagers.

You can buy this 128-page book signed from the author, or from the publisher and Amazon.

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