(by Rhode Montijo)
Little Pablo is down in Hell after being run over whilst on an errand for his mom. Hell is a big scary place, but despite his innocence, Pablo manages to adapt to the situation with a charm that subverts all previous conventions. In this first issue, he locks the Gatekeeper out of Hell, and confidently persuades the Ferryman to carry hundreds of other lost souls - although it remains to be seen whether he has the same confidence at the fairground which appears in the next issue.
This is a great first issue in what promises to be a good series. Montijo's artwork is simple but distinctive, and is quite unlike anyone else in comics today - that I can think of, anyway. Pablo's attitude to his circumstances reminds me a bit of Penny in Rachel Ball's Box City - a cheeky innocent abroad in an adult world. Following issues promise to introduce Pablo - and us - to a number of characters from Mexican folklore, some familiar, some perhaps not, but it's certainly worth checking them all out.
http://www.pablosinferno.com - official site with previews, bios and so forth. The dancing skeletons are adorable!
[Load time rating: pretty damn quick, although watch out for the graphics on the "sneak peek" pages****]
Anna Jellinek
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