The strangest passion the world has ever known : Obelisk

Status: ongoing

Author: Ashley McCammon

A new presence, a dark omen… and yet, a strange and unforgiving attraction.

Evie lives a pretty calm life. Her brother is getting engaged, she has friends, and a very cool bike. Her father passed away a year ago, and she decided to finally go through his things, with his old associate. In all of the useless and messy paperwork of their business, she stumbles on a peculiar black box; it contains some letters, one mentioning a certain Peter… and it leads her right into an brand new antique shop, led by a mysterious woman…

Now that I think about it, Obelisk might be the first webcomic that I’ve reviewed that is made entirely (or so it seems) in traditional media, and it was a very nice surprise. The style is very pleasing to look at, all in black and white with spots of red, with very detailed and believable backgrounds, full of textures and little tidbits that remind you at every page that this comic is set in the early years of the 20th century, New York. It’s a blast to look at every sign and character, the costume design being a major gold star in this comic, and I can only assume how much research work went into creating it. The characters are also very dynamic, and it all just works really well together. Add into the mix some great composition and paneling, and you get the little treasure that is this comic art wise. A real treat!

We’re still in the early pages of this comic, with only two chapters that you can read; so there’s still a lot of mystery around the story of Obelisk. We slowly meet all of the cast, from grumpy old Peter and his young assistant Dean, then Evie, a young independent woman, who we follow, her brother David, her friends… They’re all connected, it seems. Evie, still healing from the death fo her father, looks through his old business papers, and finds letter sending her to an old property of his, now turned into a brand new antique shop, ran by the mysterious Margot…

The cast itself is well developed. We learn about Evie’s way of life, her relationship to her little brother, who are her friends; and she’s a genuinely interesting character to follow and learn about. But also, who’s Margot? Why does she seem so… magnetic? You’ll have to read Obelisk to find out. I also love, as you know, anything queer, so the premise of lesbian romance just makes me want to keep reading (seems like great slow burn to me).

Obelisk is a very interesting comic to get into, with a healthy does of mystery that’ll keep you on your toes and clicking for the next page. I’m sure, like me, you’ll enjoy getting lost in every detail of the well crafted pages, and if you draw comics as well, i can assure you, you can learn a thing of two from it. With around 100 pages so far, it’s a quick read and a perfect addition to your webcomic library!

Would I recommend: Yes! For lovers of mystery, traditional media and queer slow burn.

Will I keep reading: definitely!

Find the author:

https://www.patreon.com/obelisk

Twitter/Instagram: @draculing