Titan Comics 2015
Written & Illustrated by Jay Gunn
The ‘Sea Sickness’ swept the world. 99% of the world’s human population walked into the sea, drawn by mysterious coral structures. There, they dissolved.
Two people – Megumi Suzuki and Ryan Fisher – returned to the island of Breith, home to a community of survivors. Fearing further infection, the pair were quarantined.
Megumi, with the help of Mary Maybel, has been unlocking her memories, including her connection to the coral, and the dreamlike, interconnected world it contains. Her guide within that world is a mysterious figure in a shell-like mask, wreathed in an iridescent cloak.
Ryan, too, has been exploring his past, in the company of his former girlfriend, Shauna. His alcoholic father survived the Sea Sickness – but no-one knows the fate of his younger brother, Kyle.
Something monstrous returned with the pair from the sea. It has been attacking the islanders, and island leader Jean Cassel is making plans to deal with it.
But Megumi has sensed a change in the corals that could spell doom for these few survivors...
I really am enamored with this series. From its concept, writing, characterization and it’s really incredibly detailed and beautiful artwork that belies the dangers it has that uniqueness to it that seems to be missing so much today. That we don’t get to see right away why this whole thing started and that the mystery behind it still remains and is being slowly revealed to us in the way Jay’s doing it is gripping and even exciting.
Ever since the pair came back from the sea we’ve seen something follow them looking for them to reunite them with the collective. It’s like they’ve somehow managed to disengage themselves from the hive mind and now they wanted to be brought back into it. With everything we learn about Megumi it seems she is the one who plays an integral role and as we see more and more revealed it’s fantastic to see just how important she is and why the collective wants her back so badly.
This poor otherwise idyllic island city has already faced so much and now they have to make a stand against what’s happening and coming out of the sea. Seeing who steps up and does what is one of those things where it demonstrates the diverse human nature we all have and it raises the question what would you do. Would you risk your own life so others could live or would you run and hide and hope that it all blows over? The characterization here is freakin stellar as we see different individuals in various situations and their reactions to events that unfold before them.
I’m also somewhat in awe of Jay’s imagination as he brings the monstrous creature to life and it’s agents that it dispatches to find the pair not to mention how Megumi and Ryan keep changing and evolving themselves the longer they remain separated from the collective. There are moments where you shake your head, when they wear gas masks as if that’s going to protect them from being infected to seeing a storm coming and it all that entails you just find yourself lost in the story.
The fact that Jay can make this as beautiful as it is and as equally horrific and deadly at the same time should be experienced by everyone because this is storytelling at it’s finest. One man, one vision and to see it come to fruition in such a dramatic way isn’t to be missed.