Mortal Coils
Published by A. David Lewis in association with Red Eye Press
24 pages
$2.50

A woman awakes one morning to find she's in the body of the man who assaulted her. An obsessed scientist, seeking to develop the latest in artificially-intelligent robots, plays a deadly game of hide-and-seek, using himself as bait. A television program does more than entertain; it grants individual fantasies.

These are some of the premises of an anthology comic called Mortal Coils, by creator/writer A. David Lewis, and various artists. Though, it reminds me of an old television program. Maybe you've heard of it; The Twilight Zone. Mortal Coils invokes all of the feelings of mystery, foreboding, and surprise that were inherent in that t.v. show, perhaps to the maximum degree that a comic book can. It's rather surprising, really, and a good example of why so many small-press creators are enjoying more success, these days; they produce great work.

Lewis' characterization is superb, as characters are well-revealed, considering stories run two per issue.

He also does an excellent job of pacing for this format. There is no time for much build-up, or back-story, so it's cleverly worked in as you go.

Before the reader knows it, they have enjoyed a great story, in which more has taken place than does in some entire comic books.

The art, on the other hand is hit and miss, which is to be expected in an anthology comic.

The artists of the first two issues are Evan Quiring and Jason Copland,. Both are very competent artists, who appear to work quite well in the black and white format. Due to some difference in inkers in the first two issues, however, the quality of art work is not consistent, which could make some small difference in enjoyment.

Mortal Coils is recommended for those who enjoy mystery, adventure, and the best in Twilight Zone-type stories. Go to www.redeyepress.net, or http://www.georgetown.edu/users/adl6/mortalcoils.html for direct information to order about Mortal Coils.

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