Graphic Novel Reviews: Kane and Able

Just the look of Shaky Kane and Krent Able’s Kane & Able will catapult some readers back to the past; maybe to small, crowded comic book stores or perhaps to a random spiny magazine rack located in a family-owned drug store. Either way, expect an assault on your senses. I swear, I can almost smell the musty tang of the places where comics like these were sold. When Shaky and Krent promise 72 big pages full of adventure and excitement, boy do they deliver.

Kane & Able is a collection of 5 stories and a mail bag feature. The characters, from The Astonishing Shield Bug! to Nightmare and Sleepy are a little crude and sometime very rude but you just cannot stop reading. I rarely use the term surreal to describe things outside of dreams and European cinema, but this graphic novel is worthy of the descriptor. There is a bear with chainsaw wielding babies on his shoulders, need I say more?

The stories feel like they have a long history and are written with a nod to classic visual sequential storytelling with an attention to detail that is delightful. You will get a chuckle out of the advertisements sprinkled throughout the book. The mailbag feature is also funny and fantastic.

This collection is meant to be read by adult audiences. There is violence, gore, sexual situations, and the vices. Adult graphic novel fans, especially those who passion for historical sequential storytelling will enjoy this wild ride.