Review — ‘The Twilight Zone’ #9 Features Juni Ba’s Many Storytelling Talents

One of the great things about comic books based on classic television series is that they can tell a grander story than their inspirations’ budgets would allow.

Just image classic Star Trek trying to do an episode with a cast of thousands of non-humanoid aliens racing across the galaxy. The only constraints that comic books have are their creators’ imaginations and technical abilities.

So it’s no surprise that a storyteller as gifted as Juni Ba delivers a story in The Twilight Zone #9 that could never have been pulled off on a modest CBS show from late 1950s and 60s.

Ba does everything here, from writing to illustrating to lettering. (The anthology series is in black and white, so at least he doesn’t need to worry about coloring the pages!) He delivers a beautiful story about a sand miner who is constantly diving into a river to bring up sediment from the bottom and deliver it to those on shore.

The story, called A Day in the Life in the Life, may not sound exciting or even all that Twilight Zone-like, but it draws you in because, despite of its scale, it tells a personal tale. Perhaps that story sucks you in because you are trying to understand what is happening and why. Or it may be Ba’s unique take on the characters. They don’t appear to be quite human, with their ridged skin. But what are they? And does it even matter?

While the story eventually explains why the miner is bringing sand to the shore, few other answers are forthcoming. That’s equally frustrating and fascinating. Ba isn’t trying to give us answers; rather he is relaying a parable. What we choose to do with that lesson is up to us. But we’re richer in the telling.

The Twilight Zone #9 is now available in comic book stores and on digital platforms from IDW.