Say Anything’s lead singer Max Bemis recently released his first comic through Boom! Studios. The comic has been such a success amongst fans that it’s already in it’s second printing and variant cover. However, his music fans aren’t the only ones interested in this ironic series. Great art meets a strangely familiar twist of sanity story line, it’s definitely worth picking up.
Bemis has stated that comic book writing is his main primary passion. Which is interesting due to the fact that he has been touring with his band for many many years. The four-issue miniseries follows Tim Wood, a Brooklyn artist, who stops taking his bipolar medication only to discover he has superpowers. Bemis describes the story as an action-adventure with a dose of dark comedy, but admits “Polarity” reflects some of his own experiences dealing with bipolar disorder. This story is an ironic piece of the times featuring hipsters and young populated Brooklyn. It also devels into the effects of drugs and alcoholism and the affect of mental health when abusing said substances. The writing is clever and relatable to this generation. It’s also a phenomenal train wreck to watch as the protagonist delves deeper into depression and losing his mind. If you know the band and the story of Bemis he had a mental break down a couple years back and spent time in a mental hospital in Texas. The experience is encompassed in the bands release of In Defense of the Genre. Bemis’ favorite comics include “B.P.R.D.,” “Journey Into Mystery” and Brian Wood’s “Couriers”. The art for the comic was done by Jorge Coelho who has also been working on Forgetless for Image comics. The variant cover just released was done by Frazer Irving. This series is an absolute must read. The art is amazing and it is a direct reflection of what is going on in the world right now. Mental health is a concept not tapped y many mediums and it absolutely should be.