The Dark Within

 

The Dark Within

You cannot run

And you cannot hide

From who you truly are inside

It's becoming much harder to deny

But nevertheless, I have to try

For there is this dark that rests beneath my skin

That screams with hate from deep within

It's a thing. a feeling, that you must ignore

But despite it all,

It keeps on banging at every door

It will shout 

And it will scream

To at last break free

But if it ever did

Would mean the end

For you 

And for me

I want to hurt them

And so do you

To say any different

Would just be untrue

But to give into this dark

I just will not do

No matter what

It will not break through

It will scream

It will shriek

And it will claw

At every bar of it's dark cage

But I will never again 

Give into this thing called rage

All the Way Down

 

All the Way Down

Here I stand at the edge of hope

And all I can see are the ends of rope

I sit beneath this long dark night

And I can no longer see a light

I'm just afraid I've run out of steam

And now I'm falling apart, seam by seam

I'm just not sure when all is said and done

If I have any reason left to stay

When my life's now left in such disarray

I could blame you, the world, or even more

But that wouldn't help me find the cure

For this weight that lies beneath my heart

A weight that threatens to tear me apart

So I sit beneath this light and pray

For the will to fight for one more day

The Live Echoes #1

 Writer: Mohammad Shirazi

Artist: Karissa Ray

Rating: 5 of 8

The Live Echoes #1

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but it isn't always necessary to invent, or re-invent, something that already worked. A lot of the time, it's better to stick to the old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Sure, it can be nice to see a fresh take on an old formula, or to have familiar characters taken in a new direction, but it depends on what that direction is.

In many ways, the story of The Live Echoes is a familiar one. Two friends enter into an experiment that they probably shouldn't, one that could well have unforeseen consequences. But as is often the case in these kinds of tales, fear of consequence doesn't stop them. If it did, what kind of story would that be?

It isn't just in the experiment that the issue's focused, though, as a lot of it tells the tale of Isadora reuniting with Dr. Reventon, an old friend and colleague. She returns because of an urgent letter Reventon had sent her, something that probably shows a similar level of curiosity to Reventon himself.

Though the trip goes far from smoothly, that's to be expected, considering that all of it takes part in an asylum. Indeed, that might be why the art is esoteric. After all, it makes sense that a tale set around such disordered minds would have such disordered art. On the one hand, Ray's art both fits with the kind of story Shirazi is telling and offers up some very arresting visuals, like those above and below.

At times, though, it can make it hard to follow what's going on, like in a particularly tense moment about halfway through. One climatic moment could've also been delivered a lot better, along with an intimate scene shortly before. The issue also could've ended better if that climatic moment was better executed. Then, in an earlier scene, the doctor loses his moustache, only to get it back a few panels later, while it changes colour on the next page. 

A few of these, particularly the last two, are just simple mistakes that the team should've picked up on. As for the art, your mileage may vary, while the writing itself is often very sharp, though in an earlier thought box, Shirazi could've used simpler words to express the same thing. Ultimately, an intriguing tale, that could've been a lot better.

Masks

Image used is from Taking off the Mask by Eretria Shaman.

Robbie Rowe

Masks

Why do we run

And why do we hide

From who we truly are inside?

Are we afraid 

Of what they'd do?

When we take off the mask

Would they see straight through?

See who we are

And who we pretend to be

If we took off the mask

Would we at last be free?

Or would there be anything 

Left of me

Worth remembering 

Or looking on

Or is all that's left

Shades of days long gone?

Yes, take off the mask

And at last be free

Just know I never said

It would make you hap-py

After all, that's now up to you

And what you choose to say

And choose to do

Just take off the mask, my friend

And at last, be true