REVIEW: Toe and So Long #1

Toe and So Long #1 is an ambitious, and vibrant fairytale that is full of color and has a light touch in its art. While it is true that its writing does not keep pace, the comic book is cut up through crowdfunding and has quite interesting possibilities with an abundance of peculiar characters, humor like that of a meme and stunning visuals.

The cover art hooks the attention at once because it is of an amateurish kind. The combustible colors and the layouts balance well to give a very fun looking welcoming start to the comic. While the title design is not of the most eye-catching, it was a nice touch as it gave the playful kind of feel that was appropriate for the context of the story. Quite a number of illustrations can be seen on the credit page, however the illustrations do not overshadow the text. The illustration merely gives a hint of the things that the text talks about. The deg8cation page is quite a good addition. I love the colors used and the emphasis on pets is also quite nice.

Portals — that is how we recommend reading Toe and So Long – two reported creatures exploring a nonsensical multiverse through. The writing has weak points in that area as well, since it features poor narration that is very clunky and dialogue that is way too long for its own good. A suitable first step is the avoidance of relieving sea through floating words panels, choosing claustrophobic speech bubbles instead. This paints a deeply distracting picture. The jokes and the gags that do exist are mostly of a meme’s kind and do not resonate almost at all. All of this makes the script to be inconsistent in terms of tone. Many such problems exist in this British comic book, as many dual layers placements work solely for hindrances. Some of them however, are woven into the very art design, which is quite cunning, making for funny moments.

The art, while not the most complicated, is quite impressive. The stylization keeps the energy throughout the story and, while the character designs are simple, they are interesting enough. The absence of very detailed images in the panels does not hinder the visual storytelling as those details are effectively conveyed through precise layout and accurate visuals. But the most notable aspect is the artwork; every panel pops with color due to the consistent and energetic display throughout an issue. These pages are entertaining, as they present an attractive combination of strong color and special effects.

Lettering on these aspects leaves much to be desired. Dialogue balloons tend to be misshaped and even sometimes completely cutoff, resulting in unsatisfactory showing of the conversations. Reading directions tend to be unpleasant at times since it makes the reader go back to previous panels.

There is a problem with the comic pacing, as it keeps on changing. Some places do convey the right amount of tension, like the tilted panel which leads to a sinister computer room, but others leave too much to be desired. It is worth noting that most of the time, somewhat poor execution results in disappointment, as in the rainbow power frame, which would have been a very powerful storytelling element but turned out to be a brief flash. Characters were one of the major issues, as they were pretty one-dimensional and two-dimensional without any growth at all.

There’s lots to say for Toe and so Long, its got a bright appearance and simple enough humor – but I wouldn’t consider the writing or the characters to be impressively good. Now, this isn’t professional work, but it is one with passion and space for improvement.

Fans of self published comics and looking for creativity and imaginative art over stories will surely appreciate Toe and So Long #1. So what if the storyline and the lettering are quite weak, the book’s visually striking images and colors compensate it all. 3.5 out of 5. A lot of space to grow in art and design.

Writing: 2 Stars
Art: 4 Stars
Colors: 5 Stars

Overall: 3.5 Stars

Script by: Jacob Michael Campbell

Illustrated by: Alexis Vivallo

Coloring by: Jacob Michael Campbell

Lettering by: Jacob Michael Campbell

Cover Art: Alexis Vivallo & Jacob Michael Campbell

Published by: Crude Rose

Reviewed by Antonio “Mabs”