Polite Dissent

Kinetic #4 Mom
Kelley Puckett, writer
Warren Pleece, artist

This issue of Kinetic, as the title suggests, focuses on Tom’s mother. The first part of the issue shows how Tom’s illnesses have hampered her social life. She returns home from her date and prepared his medicine only to come across Tom lifting the heavy furniture as if it were made of paper. In dealing with Tom’s miraculous recovery, she shows denial, then anger, then acceptance. She realizes that with Tom’s improvement in health, she is able to have a social life again. But still, at the end of the day, she comes home to pick up Tom’s mess.

The story continues its very slow progression. Nothing new is revealed of Tom’s abilities this issue, where he is more of a peripheral character than a star. The art is properly subdued yet still manages to be expressive. The limited palate helps to emphasize the story, rather than hampering it as in other Focus titles. Kinetic continues to be an fascinating and well-written title, but I am concerned for its continuing existence given the slow extinction of the rest of the Focus line.

In terms of medicine, Tom and his mother hypothesize that the reason he had a seizure in the end of issue #2 is that his condition was improving, and the medicine actually caused the seizure. This suggests that he is on carbamazepine (Tegretol), the only common seizure medication that can — in the right circumstances — cause seizures. Other seizure medications do not cause seizures. They are actually used quite commonly for conditions including migraine headaches and chronic pain.

My review of Kinetic #1 and #2 are here, and #3 is here.