The People Inside by Ray Fawkes Review

Ray Fawkes’ The People Inside looks at twelve different couples in twelve different love-themed stories. 

There’s a panel per couple every two pages so you have roughly twelve panels over two pages with the twelve stories playing out simultaneously. That's when we're not getting close-ups of two leaves - seriously. It’s a pretty terrible format choice as it’s hard to separate the individual stories when they’re all written in the same voice. 

The character designs are very similar, drawn in the same black and white, indistinct and ugly, clunky line. Character, story, time passing – the book does it all extremely poorly. And the writing is shockingly bad – here’s a snippet: 

“when I turn to the wheeling skies I am not afraid
am I here
am I dreaming
bitter black smoke
roaring flame
you stay until the night returns
I think I might be in love here
what the fuck why not you were all right
why not
who cares
the fire the electric need to tell you who I am to draw a smile
I'm possessed
I smile
that did not just happen
wind chime sound
a rocking bamboo fountain knocks”

It goes on and on like this. And that’s one page – out of 130!

Awful beat poetry, terrible art – it’s like an art student’s coursework! Regardless of its emotional subject matter, Fawkes’ amateurish rendering in no way “moves” me – except to close the book for good long before the end! 

Comics like this somehow got Fawkes his writing gig at DC. Often a creator’s indie projects are better than their work-for-hire at the Big 2 – not Mr Fawkes! His self-consciously (f)arty comic is even more dismal than his terrible work at DC! No finger snaps for this rubbish!

The People Inside