Graphic Novel Review: Montauk Babies by O.H. Krill, Illustrated by John Malloy

O.H. Krill is a name synonymous with UFOlogy. His, or her, paper "Our Aquisition of Advanced Technologies and Interaction with Alien Cultures" has been circulated and discussed since the earliest days of the Internet. Apparently, Krill also has a rep as an electro-deejay, if my research is correct.

The problem is, O.H. Krill is an enigma whose true identity is as much a subject of speculation as are his/her/their works. It doesn't matter, however. O.H. Krill's speculations, reportage, fictions - whatever they are - remain fascinating and provocative.

In Montauk Babies (or The Many Lives of Al Leedskalnin), Krill looks at life in a world that is literally falling apart. Lavishly illustrated by renowned comics creator and designer John Malloy, this is a graphic novel only in the broadest sense, at least in the popular definition. What Krill and Malloy have created here is a work that transcends categorization. In a story that is part science fiction, part road trip, part conspiracy theory, part social commentary, and part quantum philosophy, Montauk Babies ultimately emerges as brilliant satire.

It's 2011, and Al Leedskalnin and Peabody Freeman are travelling cross-country in a '73 Buick Riviera, living off fast food and sleeping in whatever Motel 6 they encounter. This is not a typical roadtrip, however - the potholes they encounter are inter-dimensional, and cross time and space in a single bound. Al, once a subject in the Montauk, Long Island government experiments of the fifties (which may or may not have actually happened) and Peabody, a quantum physicist, are on more than a drive through the desert, though. This is nothing less than a mission to keep timespace from imploding on itself.

It's a disjointed tale, vaguely reminiscent of Vonnegut and Harlan Ellison in its non-linear storytelling. Al and Peabody keep coming unstuck in time, warping in and out of the continuum as they try to maintain their mission. The pacing is breakneck, enhanced by typographical layouts that force the reader to move at whatever gait Krill intends. Too, Malloy's illustrations work as visual recaps of Krill's sometimes maddening prose stylings. The thirty full-page, black and white wash renderings, often perplexing, stand alone as pristine examples of graphic design.

Article Author: Ray Ellis

Ray Ellis is a freelance writer who has been dissecting pop culture and its effect on how we view ourselves for over twenty years, ruffling feathers and dragging unsuspecting pedestrians along for the ride whenever possible.

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