MeSseD is a request from Cincinnati's own Jay B. Kalagayan that combines real life attitudes from sewage workers with out-of-this-world scenarios. This Creative Mussel Production gives readers a chance to feel how alien this world feels with different artists and impossible scenarios. Because with all of the dirt and muck around, a little absurdity makes it easier to digest.
MeSseD: Keeping The Flow Going
Most people won’t look twice at what goes on in the sewers, just that people work to make sure nothing keeps them from flushing. That sense of distance from reality is baked into this series throughout its entire canals. Like how it seems that only the MSD management can speak in coherent sentences. In reality, similar lingo appears in military and corporate operations. If readers have to get a sense of seriousness, that’s saved for the paperwork at the end of most segments.
Because trying to keep anything serious is just going to needlessly slow the pace down. And the sewer workers do the work to keep every flow going. Or at least the easygoing viewpoint character Lilliput does. She and her trusty rat Akka’s personalities as well as resourcefulness always surprise an audience. Especially since the way Lilliput talks makes it easier communicating with the oddities around.
Is anybody going to ask how there’s a tribe of talking alligator-crocodile hybrids? Hardly, Fat Mucket’s got her hands full trying to settle into her role from her predecessor like an Allicroc treaty.
Treasures To Find
The best part about MeSseD is probably the sense of voyeurism that comes with the different art styles. They each come with their own little quirks that make every read feel unique. Like how Lilliput plays a series of tic-tac-toe games with a co-worker on and off the clock. No, I won’t waste time telling you the rules, you’re not a dreggin’ sewage technician. Because people need to focus on how the game shows that these people genuinely care about one another, often by helping make the day go by easier.
Not just the sewage treaters but how they interact with what’s in the sewers. Like how Lilliput talks to an Allicroc liaison and a giant mutant cockroach. The simplified pidgin English mixed with MSD lingo comes across as helping one another adjust to the world. Kind of like how people who didn’t have English as their first language are still adjusting. It makes everyone who live in these pipes feel normal and not a bunch of outcasts. Especially when you consider the houseless population who live in the sewers with them. Makes you wonder what would happen if they collide with what else lives there.
MeSseD On Getting Messy
That’s probably the big plot point, the sewer workers colliding with sentient masses of mutant bacteria. These creatures started off as harmless curiosities that became harmful because the sewer staff wanted to understand them. But what really gets at readers is if this all could have been avoided. Unlike the roaches or Allicrocs, these filaments couldn’t speak or communicate with humans until they were pushed. Because of these barriers, Lilliput had to get samples for study that offended the filaments. In their perspectives, they stole a part of their colony’s queen and what they put her through causes a shared agony. They seem as justified with their retaliation against the plant in a way.
Now it looks a war is coming because they harmed enough workers. Yet some of the filaments are learning that they’re not too different from humans. When one was ready to finish off Lilliput in her bed, this “Harold” saw how much Lilliput’s co-workers care about her. So it imitates them by leaving a gift for Lilliput and comes to her aid when she’s near death. But will it be enough?
Respect Who Cleans Your $#!1
If there’s one thing to take away from MeSseD it’s how much it gives you a perspective on the humanity of culture. People with certain jobs can almost feel a world away. But does that make them any less human? It can be really hard to deal with when people are so different, it can cause problems. But the normalizing of the little things everybody can take for granted can go a long way. The road can be bumpy ride that everybody feels; if you’re a reader you might notice Dylan Speeg took a while to be the main artist. If you’re a sewer worker, how can you forgive what some bacteria did your friends? But it’s the journey to that result that feels worth it. So this creative exercise gets 8/10.
Check out the first three seasons if you can.
Thanks for coming and as always remember to look between the panels.