pub: Arcana Comics. 73 page graphic novel/pdf file. Price: $14.95 (US). ISBN: 978-1-926914-022).

check out website: www.arcanacomics.com

This rather odd novel is the work of two people: Maciej Prozalski, who is credited with writing and art, and Shawn DePasquale, who gets the credits for script and letters. As can be seen from the cover page, the artwork is cartoon in style which given that the novel tells the taled149 of creatures inhabiting a computer system is probably a good thing. The cover depicts two characters, a rather large white polar bear and small strange character with oversized head, hands and feet. The novel opens with the little character fretting that everything in his world is disappearing. The little fellow gives away a big clue as to the nature of his world when he exclaims, 'For terabytes of RAM's sake...' On page two, the little fellow meets the polar bear and, by page seven, they have made it through to another world.

Unfortunately for the duo, the world they have just escaped to is also facing deletion. Help is on hand when they meet and old man called Adobeus Peesus, who claims to have created the little fellow who he calls Captain Pixel and the polar bear who has no name. The threesome set off to find the magic portal between worlds which is known to exist in the main e-mail office, Outlook Post. The remainder of the novel covers their exploits within this computer environment as they run from viruses and other odd creatures trying to find a safe haven.

I'm not going to say much more about the plot as it is a bit pointless. Apart from being able to fly an aircraft, Captain Pixel has no special powers or characteristics and the only notable feature of the polar bear is he is a polar bear with no name. There is the odd lame computer in-joke but no real humour, so even these get repetitive and boring after a while. We don't learn why Captain Pixel or the polar bear were created and with no special powers they simply run from one encounter to another.

While the artwork and presentation are of the high standard you would expect from Arcana, the very poor story really lets this novel down. There isn't enough humour to make this a humorous book and there are too many confusing plot elements which are not explained. Perhaps the most worrying aspect is that it concludes with an open ending so we are threatened with the possibility of a sequel. You have been warned.

Andy Whitaker