WEBCOMIC WEDNESDAY REVIEW: Black Lines

Creators: Olly Cunningham
Webcomic Link: Black Lines: Dodgy Pills

Summary: Black Lines Volume One, Dodgy Pills, is a grimy look at a degenerate family and the drugs that they’ve obtained (from a yeti) that cause their respective consciences to become hallucinogenic nightmares about Donald Trump. Each has something depraved in their past that they’re forced to relive as the pills take effect. No one among the cast is innocent in this short comic.

Story:Â The writing in Dodgy Pills is not bad, but it is definitely different. It is satire turned up to eleven and it is intended to disturb and disgust (by my best guesses, anyways). This is not going to be for everyone. The slang has run screaming beyond the realm of “realistic” into “obnoxious.” Once again, my thought is that this is intentional. These characters are tropes, caricatures, and there is nothing redeemable about them. The problem is, justÂ what the author was trying to comment on, if anything, is a bit lost. If there was a lesson beyond “shitty people exist,” then I didn’t get it. It’s Beavis and Butt-head if they grew up to be everyone’s darkest dream of what White Trash is.

Art: Black Lines’ art is grungy. It’s bathroom graffiti come to life. It’s off-putting and gross looking; but the kind of style that could easily find a place on Adult Swim’s late night block. Strangely, it still fits. Given the comic’s writing, the art is exactly what it needs to be.

Conclusion: The comic is short and simple. The website is an easy to navigate scrolling style. And there are bound to be people out there who enjoy what it’s about. I, particularly, am not one of those people, so don’t take my score as the final answer. If you were intrigued by the description? Check it out. You won’t lose anything from the experience (except maybe your sanity).