Titan Comics 2016
Written by Serge Lehman & Fabrice Colin
Illustrated by Gess
Coloured by Celine Bessonneau
Translated by Edward Gauvin
Now that the Man Who Walks Through Walls’ rescue mission has failed, and Samsa (along with his knowledge) remains unreachable, will the superhumans ever be able to go up against Missbrauch? Or could a new hero be about to rise?
So we’ve been introduced to this world and a few of it’s characters but this issue focuses on George and Jean. it’s interesting because you’d think these two characters wouldn’t really be interacting with one another and yet the way that Serge and Fabrice make it happen is wonderfully done.
I like the opening here and what strikes me is that Gess really adds a special treat with the use of mixed media by putting a real photo into the scene. It’s one of those little touches that stands out and makes a noticeable difference in the visuals. Also the handwriting that we see from Jean when he’s recording the dream he just had is another of those little touches that you don’t necessarily think about but actually makes a difference to the reader.
I like that the man whom we saw at the institute, the Elastic Man, is being hunted by The Eye. His role in all this is interesting and I cannot tell if he’s just on his own side or if he’s an actual bad guy yet. That he’s out here to recruit to the escapee as he sees the Joliot-Curies as his enemy after the business with the Man Who Walks Through Walls.
Now I like the idea of George and why she dresses like a man and yet has that whole feminine mystique. I mean is she a lesbian? What’s her deal and why dress like a man unless she’s just trying to use that to be taken more seriously. In this day and age women were well less respected than men yes so it could just be that but there’s a whole mystery surrounding her that begs to be explored. This issue does give us a look at that and provides some clues that there is indeed more to her than meets the eye and I like it.
I’ve touched on the interiors earlier but they are extremely well done. The way the characters look and the emotion, feeling and vibe they give off is well represented. The use of facial expressions and body language help give us some extra characterisations. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and the backgrounds really do a lot to flesh out the story at any given moment.
We don’t see Europe’s point of view very often and this gives us that unique perspective that we wouldn’t otherwise get. Seeing how they deal with the War and its aftermath not to mention the tension between nations after it was all said an done well it’s something I personally really like seeing. This has a great premise and wonderful writing, story progression and characterisation amid these great interiors that make reading this a real joy.