I first came across comics self-published by Jay B. Kalagayan at a small con around the corner from my house a few years before the pandemic. A vet of the Cincinnati theater and comics scenes, he was branching out into the Columbus area and would soon make a splash by being named the executive director of our burgeoning comics festival, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (“CXC” for short). Though he stepped down after the ’23 show, it was during that time that I got better acquainted with the relentless self-starter. With no directorial duties to attend to at this year’s show this past September, Kalagayan was able to table, and it was there that I was able to pick up the first two volumes of his magnum opus, MeSseD.
MeSseD follows a sewer worker named Lilliput. As an employee of the Metropolitan Sewer District, she’s tasked with removing fatbergs and other clogging nuisances from an unnamed city’s vast underworld of dank tunnels and byzantine conduits. However, her job is complicated by the likes of monstrous carnivorous worms, mutant humanoid reptiles that are testing the bounds of a treaty in the wake of their king’s passing, and mysterious aggressive creatures known as filaments that may be tied to a corporation performing experiments involving parallel dimensions. Oh, and she has a fiercely loyal pet rat named Akka.
The first volume, consisting of seven chapters, sets up this exotic world and has an episodic feel, which is to say that it’s not a single story broken up into seven parts. Each chapter feels fairly self-contained. The second volume (also seven chapters), on the other hand, builds upon the first and features more connective tissue, elaborating upon the political situation involving the mutant reptiles as well as the increasing threat of the filaments. We also get a fun little two-chapter aside following Akka on an important mission.
Kalagayan utilizes some stylistic flourishes that assist with world-building, too. The dialogue has a very clipped nature to it, and characters often use strange slang. The overall effect reminded me of A Clockwork Orange or Alan Moore’s work on Crossed + 100. That being said, MeSseD is vastly more minimalist than either of those works. Each chapter only has about eight pages of traditional story. The other main stylistic component is the file reports that conclude each issue and beef up the page count. These back matter bits have a generally humorous bent and allow us a glimpse of the MSD’s inner workings.
A trio of artists bring Kalagayan’s stories to life. Gina Marrone lends her talents to the opening chapter and capably sets the tone for the series. Her untraditional layouts that make use of interesting insert shots combine with a cinematic storytelling style to grab your eye. Clint Basinger steps in for the second chapter and utilizes a more intricate approach, encouraging the reader to linger on pages and take in expansive images. He also returns later in the series for the Akka interlude in which he deploys a looser, cartoony style. It’s a fun and expressive changeup.
Dylan Speeg carries most of the artistic load, though. He is responsible for chapters three through seven of the first volume and chapters one through five of volume two. He brings a strong penchant for action to the page, and his creature work is impeccable. His knack for lifelike faces grounds the series in a certain humanism even while creepy or wacky situations involving monsters or a person with a black hole for a face unfold. The consistency of his illustrations also brings stability to the storyline.
Jay B. Kalagayan’s MeSseD hearkens back to the heyday of the ’80s indie boom while maintaining a modern sensibility. Issues can be purchased at messedcomics.com. Recommended for fans of the original Mirage-era Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, underground comix, and offbeat low-budget horror flicks.
Michael Cavender