Walk In

(Virgin, 2006–2007)
™ and © 2006 Virgin Comics LLC

Ian travels a lot. He does so out of necessity, because on a regular basis he has episodes where everything goes black. When he wakes up, whatever life he’s built for himself has fallen to pieces, and he has little choice but to clear out. It’s a rough existence, but one he’s come to grips with. He tends to frequent strip bars—less chance of getting too close to anyone, and often free snacks with the drinks—and keep to himself. That plan goes awry when he finds himself on stage as the between-show entertainment, reading people’s dreams for them. Ian, it turns out, can see people’s dreams, and other strange visions, and he begins to wonder if he’s going insane.

Musician Dave Stewart (who came to fame with the Eurythmics) created the series, and he’s fortunate to be teamed with a talented creative team—sharp writing from Jeff Parker with lush art from Ashish Padlekar.

— Andy Richardson

From the Comics Buyer’s Guide:

Another rocker who thinks he can expand into other media. Haven’t they learned from Madonna’s movie acting? Good thing they didn’t, because Eurythmics co-founder (and Brit) Dave Stewart has written a fun tale that gets its title from the British vernacular for “illegal alien.” Walk In follows the adventures of Ian Dormouse, a man without a home who keeps losing time and waking up in places to which he doesn’t remember traveling.

Those places he does remember traveling to are usually strip clubs. In one of them, Club Déjà Vu, is where he meets the mysterious (yes, I used a cliché) Astrid. And so begins the tale.

This is page-turning supernatural entertainment with wonderful, witty dialogue and exciting plot. There are no lulls, and Stewart seems to know his way around comic-book writing as well as he does making music.

The art by Ashish Padlekar is a treat, with creative strokes and a solid sense of conveying Stewart’s story. Similarly, the covers for the first three issues—each by a different artist—are eye-catching, with the best of them being the first-issue cover by Celia Calle.

Take a walk on the weird side (no, not a musical reference to Stewart) and pick up Walk In, one of the better series to come along this year.

— Ray Sidman

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