The Dial and Other Stories

    (Kingly, 2004)
™ and © 2004 Chris Reynolds

On the surface, The Dial is a story about Reg, a soldier who returns home after the end of a space war in which the forces of the Earth were defeated. His planet is now an occupied territory controlled by benevolent administrators of the victorious alien race. Reg’s boyhood home has been badly damaged and abandoned by his family. Extensive mining around his house by the occupying force also has Reg at a loss about his own future. He spends a lot of time vacillating about his situation.

Of course, the plot of this story is merely a veneer for artist Chris Reynolds to order to address themes of childhood loss and the procrastination of facing reality. The pacing and dialogue evokes a dream–like state and the heavily outlined art is reminiscent of woodcuts. This surreal story is so rife with symbolism that little else matters.

Other stories in this collection are set in the same world of bombed–out buildings and desolation. These stories were originally published in “The Dial” and various issues of Mauretania Comics.

— George Haberberger
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