Chronophage
Tim Seeley, writer; Ilias Kyriazis, artist
Humanoids, 2022
Another original graphic novel, this time in a more obviously European style. Chloe is a single mother who is having a rough time: working two jobs to make ends meet, and dealing with her difficult teenage daughter. Soon after getting involved with a travelling businessman named Heath things start falling into place, and opportunities present themselves. But she becomes haunted by horrifying ghostly beings, which are eventually revealed as memories of a life she has no longer lived. Heath admits that he is a chronophage, an alien being who subsists on the memories of others. Every time he changes Chloe's life for the better, he erases a part of her past: people and events. Most of them could clearly be classified as bad memories: a stray dog attack; finding a dead body as a child; and rescuing her daughter and boyfriend from a drug dealer, for example. But when Heath takes away the event that caused her pregnancy he finally goes too far. Chloe's love for her daughter forces her into Heath's dream space, where she undoes his first time alteration, forever altering their lives and the life of her daughter. Kyriazis art portrays both character and action in an effective, if somewhat cartoony style. The metaphysical scenes would be a challenge for any artist, but he makes them work.
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