Tomáš Motal’s Traum 1999 is not a dream; it is a blacker-than-black trauma. The sharply defined, hallucinogenic narratives feature bizarre characters from a shadowy world that could easily engulf us, even though it rarely makes any rational sense.

Comics

Tomáš Motal has created a bizarre world into which he has collected diverse short stories in an ambitious volume. The world presented here echoes socialist Czechoslovakia as well as the broader (post-)Soviet region. Motal grew up on David Lynch (including Twin Peaks) and Quentin Tarantino, influences that are readily apparent in his fragmented and causally “broken” narratives. However, his works are far more than mere imitation. His “freak show” characters are bizarre and generally unlikeable; as dark as horror films, his worlds incorporate elements of the supernatural and play with the flow of time. His stories are more hallucinatory than rationally constructed. The strong lines and sharp black-and-white visuals remind one of the style of Charles Burns – his lines are confident, precise, yet still raw. For those who choose to succumb and dive into Motal’s world, Traum 1999 offers a strongly atmospheric experience that is difficult to articulate but lingers long in the mind.

Tomáš Motal (born 1987) studied wood carving in Tovačov and attended the Painting Studio at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ostrava. He was the lyricist and singer for Schwarzprior. He also works as an illustrator and graphic designer. In 2024, his work Traum 1999 received the Award of the Czech Academy of Comics.