Psychonauts #1
A Trip through the Multiverse
Created by Plaid Klaus
Mind Comics
Release Date: June 1, 2012
Cover Price: $1.99

Psychonauts like the many stoner comedies before it, is a comic deeply rooted in drug culture. Now, while that may seem impenetrable to those among us who don’t walk on the psychedelic wild side, creator Plaid Klaus tries his damnedest to make this comic as accessible as possible. And for the most part Klaus succeeds with a beautiful blend of mind-bending, witty writing and polished classic cartoon-style art.

What sets Psychonauts apart from your run-of-the-mill stoner story is simply Klaus’ ability to embrace the weirdest and most disorienting moments of a drug trip. Someone in the distance is telling us they can’t feel anything, then like a flash of lightning, we are talking with an all-seeing alien god. The alien god is talking about robots, or something; it doesn’t really matter because its over in a split second and we’re waking up in a field. What the hell just happened?

Klaus blazes across this comic with no intention of ever letting up. Each panel rips us from scene to scene, world to world. Psychonauts is madness and art combined, a psychedelic trip across the universe as taken by three really, really high dudes.

This is a comic firing on all cinders. A graceful combination of art, story and production filtered through the mind of someone deeply familiar with the depths of a good and bad trip. If you’re looking to get completely obliterated this weekend, read Psychonauts instead, save yourself a failed drug test.