How often do you pick up a comic book based on its outlandish premise? Did you pick up Sex Criminals because of the alure of the title? Or Saga because of the Romeo & Juliet in outer space exploits of the protagonists? If wild and weird narratives are to your taste, then I must direct you towards Higher Universe Comics and a title called The Boy with a Balloon for a Head. Yes, you read that right, and yes it is as ridiculous as it sounds.

Written and created by Brandon Rhiness, pencils and inks by Trevis Martinez, colored by Przemyslaw Dedelis, and based on a drawing by Adam Storoschuk, The Boy with a Balloon for a Head is a singularly different comic book in that the protagonist never says a word. There are no inner monologues from the boy, no sound effects as a result from his actions, and no speech bubbles protruding from his character. Just a single expression drawn on the face of yellow balloon growing out of the shoulders of a twelve year old boy.

Meet the Maynard family. A mother, a father, and their boy. Newly moved to the town of Bonnyville, as they unpack they are invited to the neighbors home for dinner – the Hendersons – where we meet their twelve year old daughter Tasha. She is a kind and gentle soul who seems to see the very best in our air-headed protagonist, despite his awkward silences and aptitude for long bouts of staring. As far as action and adventure goes, this book is singularly lacking in those regards. But the quandaries and the questions about this boy abound as you continue to read through the pages.

To the credit of the writer, I find this comic incredibly interesting. Here’s a character who obviously has so much to say but remains silent, leaving the other characters around him nothing to do but to project their own feelings onto him in order to determine his motivations. It’s a tragically beautiful story that makes you want to read more and more. During my interview with Brandon Rhiness on ComixBrew’s most recent Point-5 Initiative, I did have one question for him. What was the birth of this child like? As this Balloon-Headed child emerged from his his mother’s womb was his head already inflated or did it come out flacid and limp? If he did come out inflated, wouldn’t there be a worry about the pressure of pushing popping him? We ask the tough questions here, after all.

The artwork on this comic is superb. Trevis Martinez and Przemyslaw Dedelis have crafted a visual narrative that speaks to the complete loneliness of our protagonist and the tragedy therein is contrasted by the character Tasha and her unending compassion. The colors of the comic only add to this mood of isolation and I would expect the very same caliber from them as issues 2 and 3 are slated for release. One thing I would insist other readers note, is the sheer complexity masked by simplicity of our Balloon-Headed child. His expression never changes as the story progresses, another level of projection imposed on the audience by the creators.

The Boy with a Balloon for a Head is only one of the titles coming from Higher Universe comics, I would recommend all of their titles to anyone who enjoys independent comics. And after speaking with Brandon Rhiness on our podcast, I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Josh

hickory

Still wondering how the birthing of this child went down….

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