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FINDER #1-14: SIN EATER
 What
if Dave Sim were a sane woman?
Reviewed by Damon Crumpler FINDER is a strange beast. I'm not sure it's for everyone, but since I'm the reviewer here, I've decided that it is and that all of you should go out and buy as much of it as you possibly can. I'll say it in advance: You're welcome. I'm at a disadvantage: I'm trying to describe something wonderful in fifty words or less. So, I'll start at the beginning. FINDER is a bimonthly self published series set in what is possibly our future. I could call it science fiction, but that is the exact sort of labelling that obscures essence of the work. It was hard for me to decide what exactly to review: the first story arc runs 14 issues, but only the first seven have been reprinted in trade paperback format (available for $16.95). [Editor's Note: Since this review was originally commisioned, the second trade paperback collection of FINDER, issues 8 through 14 has been released as FINDER: SIN EATER VOLUME 2 at $19.95.] I decided to go for the whole arc, because it's a story, not half a story, and it's a story that needs to be read in full to appreciate all of the subtleties. This arc focuses on one finder, who is also a halfbreed, and the family of the officer in the army who saved his life. The officer went insane, and his wife and three children left him. We see a lot of this in flashbacks, as the story is mainly set a few years later, where the finder has come in from the wilderness, into the city of Anvard, to visit the family. And to keep the officer, now out of jail, from them. Now you might think it's a suspense story. More fool you. I could discuss the city, and the multitude of pages Carla devotes to its wonder and mysteries. But I've already told you it's not exactly science fiction, so I won't dwell. I could tell you of the mysticism in the book, of the secret and magical world one of the characters creates inside her head, of the fortunes told, and you might well think it a work of science fantasy. Wrong again. The quiet moments of human observation, touching and thoughtful. The insight into politics and class struggles, explored through the clan system. The annotations provided in the trade peperback, showing a love and care for the story that rivals Moore's "from hell". So what is it about? It's about a little bit of everything. But mostly it's about the finder, a wonderful and intriguing anti-hero who tries to save some people he loves from another person he loves, and perhaps does more harm than good. Hence the Sim comparison: Carla never settles on just one thing, and has a multifaceted plot reminiscent of earlier CEREBUS. And, much like Sim, Carla has a tendency to lead you in one direction, and then pull the rug out from under you, veering the story towards an entirely different place. I won't reveal the ending, but it resolves itself logically and unpredictably. The story itself is often times confusing, and disjointed, as it wanders down some particularly odd but fascinating tangent, or it cuts between several times through flashbacks. It gets a bit wordy, which is good considering the words, and perhaps a little bit precious at times. The annotations are a must, she doesn't believe in spelling things out, and a lot of the bits of background are reduced to mere atmosphere because of it. The art itself is passable, it varies between very very good and competent. But all of those criticisms are nitpicks. It's the sort of unclassifiable story you get sucked into, and find yourself rereading all or bits of repeatedly. Because it's that good. Because the flaws don't matter. Because the characters are fully developed, and doggonit you care about them. Or, you will, once you get off your lazy ass and buy the thing. Recommended.
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Writer
and Artist: Carla Speed McNeil 
