Dark Horse Comics 2018
Written by Christofer Emgard
Illustrated by Tomas Aira
Lettered by Mauro Mantella
An Army pilot confronts a supernatural horror in this thriller in the tradition of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness and Coppola's Apocalypse Now! Hannah Vance believes her faith in God can survive anything. But when her helicopter is shot down behind enemy lines, she will fight and kill on an ever-more-savage battlefield, desperate for a way home. On the horizon, an evil waits for her--and freedom, of a sort.
The opening here is interesting as we see the moment that Hannah tells her father, a pastor, that she’s signed up. As they pair talk back and forth about her decision and what god would want for her, through her father’s interpretation of course as well as her own. It is a nice little, see quick, look at her background and where she comes from which is here to help us better understand how we see her and her actions as the story moves forward.
The way that this is structured is excellent and how the whole book flows makes the reading easy and with the pacing you feel just when it’s getting really good it’s over. It may be a fast read but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing it is fast because it’s that well structured and that well written and you actually lose yourself in the story. I like that so fat we see what happens in real time as it were, there’s no jumping around between the past and present. There are also aspects to this that are unique in that we don’t see this often and you’ll notice them when you see them but they add a certain something to the story that makes Hannah uneasy and all too easily ready to dismiss things. So the inclusion of things such as that heighten the story’s creepiness.
The introduction of the characters that will be a part of this story is very well done. It is kind sudden and jarring and while Hannah doesn’t really know this team she’s been thrust into I think that is part of the story’s larger appeal. So they character dynamic is not only interesting but the way we learn about this Ranger RRC team right alongside her. This means that we’re surprised when she is which in turn makes what we get to see are things unfold as they should. We don’t get backstory or information about people we meet so why should she? It’s a great avenue to go down and it increases the scares when they come.
The interior artwork here is really very nice. Christofer and Tomas do some beautiful work and the attention to detail is amazingly shown through the manipulation of varying weights in the linework. From the rivets in the chopper to the way we see the fatigues and such with pockets and all that jazz it all stands out so it gives a more realistic view of them as they should be. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels showcases a wonderfully strong eye for storytelling. Backgrounds are utilised nicely the woods, trees and topography are used as effectively as possible.
The characterisation is stellar and with this group and where they are and with the chain of command it’s going to be fun seeing who makes it and for how long. This is going to be one heck of ride and if the rest of the story can maintain this level of intensity and quality then I am seriously going to be on the edge of my seat, both in anticipation of what’s to come as well as for what the books will hold.
This one that took me by surprise at it’s level of quality in the writing and artwork and exceeded any kind of expectations I might have had.