Kissing Chaos: Nonstop Beauty

    (Oni, 2003)

There are two elements that are common in many clear, understandable stories: One is a firm establishment of the characters and situations; the other is telling the story in a linear fashion. Take one away from an otherwise good story, and at worst there remains a good story that could have been better; take both away, and the result is Kissing Chaos.

If Dela Cruz had chosen to adhere to at least one of these elements, this sequel might have had a chance at life. But, at its halfway point, it remains on life support, as it struggles trying to make some kind of sense. Which it just begins to near the end of the second issue — but by this time many may have already called for a mercy killing.

For what it’s worth, one character has a real-life meeting with an Internet chat-buddy, who seems to have information about the recent disappearance of her friend. This may or may not be related to some kind of trouble that a group is planning at a nightclub. And the scene continuously shifts back and forth in time between these events. Oy.

Making things worse is the normally likable drawing style. His murky, through-a-smoky-room approach is unflatteringly symbolic of his story: foggy and hard to make out. Failing to understand the difference between a challenging story and an indecipherable one, he falls into a trend followed by all too many writers nowadays. If readers are truly looking for chaos, then here it is.

— Jim Johnson
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    Oct 2002
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