Comic Review: Cages by Dave McKean

Disclaimer: I know very little about art and it is entirely possible that this review consists of nothing but a thinly veiled attempt to come across as cultured.

Cages is the single volume collection of the 10 issue limited comic series by Dave McKean. The book details the lives of several aspiring artists that reside in an apartment block, revealing their stories, interactions and musings on life, love and death through an assortment of art styles.

The colourful cast of characters include aspiring painter and new tenant to the block, Leo Sabarsky, who is attempting to find his artistic voice, Jonathan Rush, a controversial author in hiding whose writings have sparked riots and a Jamaican musician named Angel who can bleed sound from a stone. There are also mobster-like men that confiscate everything Rush loves, a mad scientist that attempts to isolate the soul of inanimate objects, an art dealer that speaks only through the use of palm cards and a love interest that lives in an indoor jungle.

A strange black cat is witness to the lives of these characters. The animal wanders between each of their stories, coming and going, so we feel we have only received a glimpse of their fantastical worlds, which are in a constant state of perpetual change.

The enormous 496 page book (which should come with a warning: lift with your knees sticker) has been published by Dark Horse in a beautiful, large format that captures the detail and expression with which the graphic series has been created. McKean, who is best known for his Sandman covers and art in Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum, uses his broad range of artistic talents to full advantage here, with the book comprising of simple scribbles, scratchy representational ink sketches, abstract expressional paintings and digitally enhanced photography.

You could be forgiven for dismissing Cages as superfluous art wank, but each change in style helps the linearly told narrative unfold with the art reflecting the current mood. Calm sequences, told using the traditional 9 panel format, can suddenly desolve into abstract streaky figures in a chase sequence entirely without panels or into an explosion of colour in an  otherwise single coloured book to show the creation of an idea or dream. At no point does the mixed media style feel forced. Furthermore the frequent changes makes turning each page genuinely exciting and surprising in terms of narrative development and art.

Cages is one of the most ambitious comic books ever created. It can be at times confusing, with the mix of art styles complimenting the often ambiguous narrative but challenging the reader. With a little patience, the book offers an entirely unique experience, not just to comic readers, but all lovers of fiction and art. I cannot recommend this purchase enough.