HELEN KELLER WAS REALLY AN ASSASSIN.

by Graphic Guy (NWM Staff Writer)

That’s the studio pitch that pretty much sums up the 2008 hit graphic series HELLEN KILLER, by Andrew Kreisberg & Matthew JLD Rice at Arcana Studios.

This 4 issue series has action, science fiction with doses of historical accuracy all scrambled up for your reading pleasure. It takes place in 1901. At this point Helen Keller is 20 years old and attending college. True to history she has lost both her hearing and sight. Yet with the aid of Alexander Graham Bell and his incredible invention (the Omnicle), Helen now not only has her visual and audio senses restored – she can also kick ass with the best of them. It seems the machine enhances all of her abilities by tenfold. Of course this makes her a prime pick to be an undercover Super Agent for the US Government. Action, romance and a date of destiny with President William McKinley ensue.

The story itself is fast paced. Andrew’s short concise dialogue does a brilliant job of capturing the characters as well as the time period. The art itself is in black & white, which to me only adds to the impact of Matthew’s high-contrast art (see below). Unfortunately, I haven’t found a graphic novel collection of the series. However the Arcane studio site is still selling the issues at $2.99 a pop. Definitely not one for the kiddies, but a crackling good read and visual buffet for the adults. Makes a damn fine stocking stuffer. Click here to order Helen Killer. OR, now you finally have a reason to walk into that creepy, geeky, local comic shop.