When I listed Blind Alley in my Best Webcomics of 2022 article, I wrote “Adam de Souza’s low key humor is reminiscent of Charles Schulz with a touch of Charles Adams in this Ignatz Award-nominated series.”
Blind Alley is certainly one of the best webcomics out there, and no doubt Schulz or Adams would have been fans. In its casual, meandering way, the twice-weekly strip serves up so many remarkable pleasures— comedy, mystery, fantasy, philosophy, enigma and visual beauty.
The large cast of children who populate Blind Alley each have their own ongoing stories that the author picks up and drops at random. There is a true-to-life context for much of the action, with tedium, sadness, death, divorce and loss shaping the children’s lives. There are also supernatural elements that present themselves in novel and fascinating ways, such as a dark presence calling on a tin-can telephone, or a sewer-dwelling creature who loves chocolate.
Episodes vary from Sunday-style three-tiered strips to single-panel full-color illustrations, but the majority are a single row of panels resembling a daily newspaper strip. This short format is the sweet spot of Blind Alley’s narrative strength, often soaring to extraordinary heights of dramatic expression—
- Exploring the forest, “hippies” Sweetie and Pod are shocked to discover their favorite tree chopped down. The two drape themselves over the stump, trembling with grief.
- The neighborhood bully Ten begins to realize the dislike he has engendered in his playmates. He wanders into the woods, and leans his forehead against a tree.
- Oliver arrives home to a dark and disheveled house. He calls in vain for his mother, and then settles down to eat supper alone.
Vancouver artist de Souza has vast experience as an illustrator and cartoonist; his portfolio is a magnificent Odyssey of shapes and ideas. One could hardly find a better tutor for a child or adult in understanding our vast and strange universe.
