What is Brokenland, you ask? It’s a world that’s just a little off, filled to the brim with trash and muck and grime. It’s home to a variety of creatures (Beings? Monsters?) of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. It’s all unsettling. And it all hits a little too close to home.
Brokenland #2 is written, illustrated, and colored by Drew Morrison. The book is currently being funded on Kickstarter.
Story
BROKENLAND is a dialogue-free series written, drawn, and colored by Drew Morrison. It is a comedic story of growth, change and the growing waste problem. It takes place in a tough city populated by all manner of weirdos and centers around Meeso, a timid creature whose intentions often go overlooked. Meeso would like to do some good but isn’t sure where to start. In this first issue, several events offer a path.
The first thing you’ll notice when skimming the first few panels of Brokenland is the lack of dialogue, or text for that matter. ‘Lack’ is probably the wrong choice of words, however, as the story is anything but.
There’s a lot going on in this book, both in the calamitous world being displayed, as well as in what message writer Drew Morrison is trying to convey. In the middle of it all is Meeso, a pale, amorphous character who is trying to fit into the world around him, by literally changing its form to adapt to any given scenario. Meeso serves as the reader’s vessel, roaming through the upheaval, attempting to bring some optimism to the peculiar beings it comes across via sweet treats.
Though you’re not getting any dialogue or captions here, you’re able to pick up on the narrative and Meeso’s intentions fairly easily, which is a testament to Morrison’s skill as a visual storyteller.
Art
Morrison relies solely on his artwork to tell the story of Meeso in Brokenland — and he sticks the landing. But the artwork tells way more than simply the narrative. On the surface, the pages just seem cluttered and ridiculous with oblong creatures, and grime-laden backdrops. It’s an array of absurd colors and textures that can easily come across as overwhelming, and downright disturbing.
But as mentioned earlier, it all hits a little too close to home. Meeso is trying to navigate through this calamity depicted in the artwork. It’s very much a surreal interpretation of scrolling through a Twitter feed nowadays. And Morrison was able to capture that anxiety into compelling artwork with layers of context.
Conclusion
You can support Morrison and Brokenland #2 by helping fund the Kickstarter. For more information, visit the Brokenland website, or follow Drew on Twitter and Instagram.
