I’ll Take You To The Moon & Leave You There
Created by Skuds Mckinley
Art by Skuds Mckinley
BatShit Art
Release Date: April 11, 2012
Cover Price: $8.00

As a society, we tend to retain only the fondest memories of being young and in love. What lurks beneath those memories is a fundamental truth that, if possible, we would like to forget. The truth is that growing up and loving someone is terrifying, a fact that sometimes hurts too much to acknowledge. I’ll Take You To The Moon & Leave You There is a testament to those moments that slip between our subconscious and are, with any luck, forgotten for good. From isolation to addiction, indie creator, Skuds Mckinley, explores the darkest corners of the human experience in this book.

I’ll Take You To The Moon & Leave You There is a journey of the mind of both a writer and artist, struggling with a side of life that is rarely addressed so earnestly. Each short story in this book seems to represent a specific time in this creator’s life. When the first story begins, we are shown a man, over the course of six pages, literally transformed into his own twisted thoughts. As the books progresses, each story works as a two-part study of a creator and his thoughts. A brutal battle between mental stability and instability rage on through one story, which is then followed by a completely Sci-Fi fantasy story a few pages later. Since the creator has lost the battle for mental sanity, we are then transported to a world that is easier to deal with than the one around him. I’ll Take You To The Moon & Leave You There is a study in the kinds of art that is created in both good times and bad.

Where most independent books battle against the idea of having an independent art style, Skuds Mckinley embraces it. Pencils and inks are carefully crafted; yet show no explicit attention to conforming to mainstream panache. The style in this comic is reminiscent of Charles Burns and the art found in books like Love and Rockets. Every shadow in I’ll Take You To The Moon & Leave You There is oppressive; lines are felt more than shown as darkness envelopes every aspect of this comic.

As an independent writer and artist, Skuds Mckinley has created something that is true to the indie comic form. This book is full of stories that would baffle marketing executives at Marvel and DC. Yet, when grasping for emotional resonance, I’ll Take You To The Moon & Leave You There hits dead on. This is a comic that focuses on coming to terms with life through art. Which, in my opinion, is what indie comics are all about.