Numb Review: Special

It seems like everyone has a webcomic nowadays. It’s gotten to the point where the absolute crap is pushed to the front and the ones that actually have any effort put into them is hidden. One of these hidden gems is “Numb” by Niina Eveliina.

On his way to pick up his friend Susan at the train station, Levi sees someone cross the street and almost get hit by a car. He does the usual thing of saving that person, but it’s revealed that he was the only person who crossed the street. After recovering in the hospital, Levi realizes that the person is actually a ghost named Nikita who now is part of Levi’s life because he’s the only one who can see him.

While this comic is labeled as horror, there isn’t much horror going until the fourth chapter. It’s more of a slice of life than anything else. Yes, the setup has been used to death in manga, but it’s what comes after that matters. Over 200 pages and it’s an interesting read. Levi is an interesting and believable character who we can sympathize with. Nikita does take some time to develop, but when that happens he is also an interesting character despite the fact that he pretty much is like a lot of characters in this genre.

The only problem with the story is that, early on, there have been a lot of typos. Not just once in a while, but at least one every other page. The newer pages are better edited which does show improvement.

The best aspect of this webcomic is the artwork. You can tell a lot of effort was put into each page. Unlike a lot of comics that have the typical comic book look, each page in “Numb” looks like a watercolor painting. This style can either hurt or help a comic depending on how it’s used. Here, Eveliina has figured out the right balance of using watercolor to tell a horror story. Dark colors for the scary scenes and blues for sad scenes. There is so much emotion put here that it’s amazing.

“Numb” is a hidden gem found in a world full of crap. The artwork is amazing and the story will leave you wanting more with its great characters. Don’t let the constant typos ruin the story, it is worth sitting through them.