Teething is a horror comic that follows two young adults who, through their developing relationship and their interaction with the various cities they move through, learn to understand themselves and the terrifying things happening to them. The story is centered around Leonardo Stonewell, a nowhere man who begins to lose the ability to see faces with horrifying results, and Sven Mensah, a local supermarket employee who suffers from an inexplicable condition that causes him to vomit teeth. Teething is about growing pains, unsettling topics and the desire to learn to love not just yourself, but another.
Introductions
Hello, my name is Son Mess and I am the creator/writer for the comic Teething. It’s a story I have been developing for well over seven years and through the support of my friends and my wonderful artist Jess, I have pushed myself in the much needed direction of creating a Kickstarter! My goal, with your support, is to afford to pay my artist, keep a website running for online reading, publish hard copies and hopefully make merchandise along the way.
The Story & Themes
As the story of Teething unwinds, so do the main cast’s lives. Leondardo Stonewell, while rummaging through the swamp lands behind his home, stumbles upon the faceless body of an elderly man. Since then, faces have been slowly slipping away from his vision, all except for the reluctant visage of Sven Mensah. Old childhood friends with bad blood, Sven wants nearly nothing to do with Leo, until after a chance encounter with the man, a strange sensation begins to arise within him. Much to his shock, he develops an uncontrollable reflex to spit out teeth, coming from deep within his throat.
Given the clue that their 4th grade teacher Mr. M., a man who’s long since left town, might have the answers, the two boys put aside their differences as best they can to follow his trail. Together, they travel through different cities, from robot graveyards to bright love struck cities to underground tunnels. Sometimes, they leave their rest stops better than when they entered and sometimes, they leave it worse for wear.
Teething has a lot of adult themes, it’s oriented for an older age demographic (18+). Some common themes are unhealthy relationships, drug use, sexual content, language, and homicide. Despite the themes, this comic is less about being edgy and more about showing the human condition, for the better or for the worse.
What’s more, Teething features a diverse cast, a world heavy in Arab/Berber culture with it’s folklore, science-fiction and broad understanding of what love can really mean to someone.
The creators have launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring Teething to the comics world! Check it out here!