Wicked whiteys, gnarled branches, secret messages in slippery bottles, and a heavy whirpool of subterfuge, defeat and hair writhe through these haunted trails. Reynolds somehow packs five strong pieces into 48 pages, with each comic tangentially brushing the others in his deeply nautical, perversely witty, lushly drawn universe. It's decidedly a collection of comics about tragedies, losses and failures, but it reads like a triumph. Beyond recommended, duh. -EF

48p, b&w, 5"x7.5"