Eddie Campbell & Daren White - The Playwright

(Knockabout)

The Playwright is perhaps unusual compared to so many comics, being simply a gentle character study of a middle-aged writer. There’s no grand story arch, just a dip into someone’s life, examining their foibles and opening up their psyche. Our eponymous central character is successful but lonely, his mind drifting into innocent sexual fantasy as his life seems to pass him by, constantly yearning for closer human contact. He’s shy and flawed but entirely human.

There’s an easy flow in Daren White’s writing that sucks you in and fully rounds out his characters, subtly hooking you in and investing emotion into the story. The fantastic Eddie Campbell (From Hell, Alec), a frequent collaborator with White, is the perfect illustrator, keeping events grounded in realism while capturing the sentiment and pace of the narrative.