Staff Picks (October 12): Babble

In an ever expanding marketplace, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to find time to expand my reading horizons beyond the publishing companies that I find myself interacting with on a daily basis. During my time at San Diego Comic Con, I had a great encounter with the folks at Com.x, and since our meeting I’ve managed to familiarize myself much more with their line of books, and the material they’re producing is impressive to say the least. Books like Seeds should be required reading for any fan of the comics medium.

This month’s offering is Babble, a book build on a concept so intriguing that I was hooked before I even took a look at the truly striking art of Bryan Coyle. I’m a sucker with stories that connect with any aspect of the ancient world whether they are historical or mythological in nature. Babble manages to inhabit a bit of both those worlds, featuring a protagonist who finds herself caught up as a key member of a research team that hopes to resurrect the ancient language spoken by the inhabitants of Babel. In addition to its ties to ancient history and civilization Babble manages to be read like a very modern tale. The characters themselves come to life in a very contemporary and relatable way that I did not expect given the extraordinary work they find themselves undertaking. Ultimately the story has a great deal to say on the subject of how we communicate with one another in both our personal and professional lives, as well as how the content and means of our communications can be a force for both good and bad in both subtle and not so subtle ways.

~ Tim Lenaghan