Review: Windy Wilberforce - Jackanapes Regained by Ed Pinsent
If you're after a comic featuring black and white art, a character over forty years old and some wildly insane dreams, then Windy Wilberforce - Jackanapes Regained, by Ed Pinsent, is probably the comic you're looking for. Or maybe you just want some good old small press comics fun. Either applies here!
Windy Wilberforce first appeared on the drawing paper in 1981, before being redrawn into an A5 zine in 1983. Why am I telling you this? Well, Ed Pinsent has been doing small-press comics since 1982. Windy Wilberforce is kind of like his comics baby, that is now over 40 years old. Ed has been a staple of the UK small press scene, including being a frequent contributor to Colossive Press, with three cartographies so far. Now, onto the actual comic!
Let's start with the art, like we usually do here. Windy Wilberforce is all black and white. It's a cartoon style that can change from panel to panel. Some have some lovely crosshatching for added detail. Others are just character outlines. Combined on the page, it works exceptionally well, adding some nice variety. It's a style that looks fantastic without colour, and doesn't stick to rigid character designs for some extra charm.
The Jackanapes, in particular, can look different from panel to panel. They have a wonderfully crazy look about them that screams mischievous. The switching between bold lines with no crosshatching to a more shadowed look pays off particularly well with the Jackanapes more than anything.
One of my favourite pages comes with zero dialogue, when Windy is asleep. Nine panels of dreaming, each different and showing how quickly the dream is changing. It's the kind of page you could hang on your wall as a "this is Ed Pinsent" frame.
As for the story, Ed has gone with almost no speaking. It's all Windy's thoughts as you're guided through the story. There's a darkness to the story, despite the artwork being fairly light. Windy can no longer communicate with the Jackanapes - their language is incomprehensible. Do they even recognise Windy anymore? What will the Land of the Jackanapes bring that will solve this mystery? What has become of the original Grinning Jackanapes, one of Windy's oldest and best friends?
The idea of having everything done through Windy's thoughts is a bit different. A good different. It allows the story to move along at a pace while following Windy's thought processes. It might seem at times to be like old-school comics, where there's almost a narrator tone to things, but it allows you to see that Windy has no idea what is going on. The confusion can come across without verbalising everything. I like that.
Whether you're a longtime fan of Ed Pinsent or simply curious about the surreal corners of small press comics, Windy Wilberforce - Jackanapes Regained offers a refreshingly introspective journey through dreamscapes, memory, and mischief. Its expressive black-and-white art and mainly internal vocals make it a standout piece. You can buy Windy Wilberforce – Jackanapes Regained from Ed Pinsent's official site and experience the mystery firsthand.
Rating: 4.5/5
