1895: Seven Days In Mayham
Titan Comics 2017
Written by Kim Newman
Illustrated by Paul McCaffrey
Coloured by Kevin Enhart
Lettered by Simon Bowland
If there is anything I am a fan of it’s alternate history and horror so when the two are combined well hello nurse! I hadn’t heard of this before reading this and honestly I kind of wish that we were being introduced to the franchise with the first story Kim wrote and all this came to be. While i’m fascinated with what’s here and want to now go back and revisit what’s come before I do wish this were from the ground up as it were and not somewhere in the middle.
So the first thing we notice here is the work Paul and Kevin do and that this is not necessarily steampunk but has that kind of element of ships, planes and such that weren’t prevalent during this time period. So that there are all kinds of visual clues that this is something special right from the start garners that interest factor that pulls you immediately in and keeps you. Then to see what we do with the narration and the course of events that unfold well that is just icing on the cake, though I really wish at least one person get to become a thorn in the side as it were later on.
I really am impressed with the work that Paul and Kevin do here. The attention to detail is superbly done and the faces, facial expressions and creativity and imagination that we see in the crafts, creatures and people here couldn’t be any better. The use of the page layouts with their angles, perspective and utilisation of backgrounds really help tell the fuller story of what’s going on here. There’s a nice vibrancy and sense of life happening in these pages that really go well with the subject matter.
I do like the way this story is structured. We get a nice sense of what is going on and what has gone on so that we aren’t coming into this like blind lost children. We get to see a little bit of why things are going the way they are and that’s just enough to really whet the appetite and leave us wanting more. I think the characterisation is on point and incredibly strong so that we see where the characters not only come from but how they fit into the story. Also that we get those that are unapologetically evil and embrace who they’ve become well that’s delightful.
Overall this is an extremely impressive debut. I like that what we see and get is something that is unique and original. That it blends genres in a way that you don’t automatically think of and yet keeps wonder, awe and horror all alive in ways that make mystery and intrigue central characters as well. I’m also a huge fan that Titan finds these properties and does what they do in bringing them to life so introducing me and the world to franchises we’d never know otherwise.
More than well worth your time, this is fun, fresh and exciting stuff!