You had me at cats and books. With one glance at the cover of the first issue, I could tell that the premise of Inkblot was something I could get behind. A mysterious figure clutching tome and scroll, bathed in a brilliant light that spills through an archway built of books. Oh yeah, and there’s the cat, perched atop her head, looking back at the reader, just a pair of wide green eyes on a black silhouette wondering if we’re going to come along.
Inkblot is a new series by creators Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd, published through Image Comics with the first issue released in September of 2020. The pair are both graduates of the Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, a school focused on the creation of comic books and founded by Emma’s legendary grandfather Joe Kubert.
The official solicit copy describes the debut of Inkblot.
Third-generation comic artist EMMA KUBERT partners with up-and-coming creator RUSTY GLADD to deliver a high-fantasy epic! This new ONGOING SERIES follows a powerful sorceress attempting to correct her greatest mistake—the creation of a magical cat that can travel through time, space, and reality. The cat threatens to unravel the fabric of the universe, doesn’t care, and just won’t listen!
Inkblot #1 hit the notes that preview summary had led me to expect, as it set out to begin establishing this whimsical fantasy. The opening pages were a bit exposition laden, but creating new worlds from scratch and conveying them to the reader is always an arduous task. These scenes are brief and didn’t hinder, slow, or detract from the story; but possibly could have waited and been intertwined more organically as the narrative progresses. Perhaps I only feel this way because I was just too eager to get to the cat!
And the cat, Inkblot... delivered. Or rather Emma Kubert delivered on Inkblot with a simple and engaging character design and delightful illustrations of Inkblot’s mannerisms and actions. Emma’s visual storytelling is on point, clear and readable as you’d expect of someone who has seriously studied the craft of sequential art for years!
The initial credits simply list Emma and Rusty as creators, without delineating the traditional roles of writer, penciler, inker, etc. I was happy that Rusty Gladd elaborated on the working relationship at the conclusion of the issue. Apparently the two work back and forth with Emma penciling, Rusty inking, Emma coloring, and Rusty scripting the finished art.
In today’s comic world “full script” has become a much more common approach to making comics, in which everything is rather meticulously planned and described by the writer before the first drawing hits the page. Rusty mentions how their working relationship is much more akin to the “Marvel Method,” in which artists were frequently given a very loose plot summary of what the issue should contain, and then left to their own devices to fill the pages with a story told in art, to which the writer then added captions and dialog in a rather improvisational technique.
Clearly the first issue of Inkblot showcases the fun energetic storytelling that this method can create. I do hope that as the tale unfolds, the creative duo will be able to build a layered and cohesive narrative as well.
In the end, Inkblot #1 made me happy to get pulled along for the ride, much like little Inkblot here... and see where all of this is going!
-Bryan "the Imp" Imhoff
Epilogue!
I created this little Inkblot writeup a number of weeks ago before it was lost in the void of cloud file storage and I never got around to re-writing it. However, as you may have guessed... I found the file and have belatedly shared it with you! In the interim I've also acquired and read the next two issues of Inkblot. The series continues to be an enjoyable all-ages fantasy comic, with lots of whimsical worldbuilding.
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