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THE WHITE ELEPHANTby Damon Hurd and Christopher Steininger
($8.95,
Alternative Comics)
Reviewed by Henry ChamberlainA "white elephant" is a failure. You automatically think of something that is going to cost you far more than it is worth. You don't naturally think of an emotional burden but that is the central theme in Damon Hurd's graphic screenplay,
The White Elephant.
From the title on down,
The White Elephant means to be ambitious. With dialogue that is at times sharp, Hurd demonstrates a good control of dramatic elements. It's the actual story where he runs into problems in revealing his vision. And the whole notion of having to do battle with a forced metaphor, an actual white elephant, is distracting. You get the sense that this is a book the writer needed to get out of his system and may have rushed to reach a catharsis.
The story revolves around Gene, a young man attempting to make sense of his life by coming to terms with an episode of incest in his family that apparently has destroyed all his past family relationships, although we never learn how exactly. This is supposed to be "thinly veiled autobiography." There are flashes of energy as you read along and discover the details of Hurd's demons but there is not any sustaining heat. Writing can be great as therapy for personal use but it usually does not hold up well as reading for others and that is the feeling you come away with: you are just reading a therapy session.
Art by Christopher Steininger adds to the mood attempted, a sort of mopey Cure vibe. The characters are drawn very lightly with a highly stylized '80s fashion look: faces carved from a few well placed lines. This adds all too well to the highly stylized sense of life in this book. You end up with characters and a plot that only break the surface. For someone with promise, it is hoped that Hurd will find his true voice as he matures as a writer.
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