Comic Review: The Picture of Everything Else #2 (Vault Comics)

The Picture of Everything Else, from Vault Comics rates mention. The second issue, now available, continues this tale of Paris painters at the beginning of the 1900s.

As the 20th century begins, art promises to change the world. Except that there are those who have made deals with the Devil. The Faustian adventure adds another layer, blood on the brush, oil being thicker than water, bloody deals and tensions deepen… Marcel has given up painting to concentrate on being an art critic. But his headaches are unbearable, and so is Pablo Picasso!

Writer Dan Watters (Coffin Bound, Lucifer, Deep Roots) conjures up the scenes, the dialogue is wonderfully immersive, and the suspense is tangible. The art and hand-applied colours of Kishore Mohan further envelop us in the times and mores of Paris, 1900. The costumes, settings, and visual cues all work wonders, making this comic title an escape from our regular reading fare. It’s worth the price of admission to this Salon des Refuseés, a vernissage of dangerous times in oil painting and French society. The horror, the blood, the surroundings of mystery and antiquity. Lettering by Aditya Bidikar fits the time, the place and the pace. Solid reading.

Vault Comics, The Picture of Everything Else #2, $3.99 for 27 pages of content.