I sent away for this mini comic after seeing a classified ad for
it in the Comics Buyer’s Guide. Not knowing what to expect I was pleasantly
surprised when the comic arrived in the mail a few weeks later. Right off the bat I
noticed how professional it looked. The card stock cover was well-designed and
eye-catching and the interior artwork was just as well done.
It turns out there’s a reason for the sharp look of this comic. In the issue’s Forward Chris Kalnick talks about illustrating a "new age" comic strip called NON that appeared in three different magazines. The main character of Depth Charge Digest, Chuckie, was one of the strip’s main characters. Kalnick decided he wanted to delve more into Chuckie and see what stories came out.
The story in Depth Charge Digest #1 is a little more difficult to explain. Chuckie is some sort of metaphysical protector or cop. In this issue he saves a family from being abducted by little green men. Not is all as it seems, however. A creepy looking guy is behind the visions. He has invaded the couple’s dreams and manifested a fear of theirs enabling him to take them. To where? We don’t find out in this issue. A lot of questions are left unanswered but Chris Kalnick confesses to being frustrated at the limitations of the mini comic format so the next issue will be digest-sized. Hopefully this will allow for more insight into the overall story arc.
If you’re into offbeat comics give this one a try.
You probably won’t be able to find this locally unless the store you frequent carries mini comics so if you’d like your own copy send $1.50 (postage paid) to Chris Kalnick, P.O. Box 588, Newton Square, PA 19073. If you’re ordering from a country other than the US include a little something for postage. Chris can also be reached via e-mail at depthcharge@erols.com. You can see more of Chris Kalnick’s art on the cover of the small press comic, Rewind and he’ll be doing a pin-up for Box Office Poison #15.