Aftershock Comics 2020
Created & Written by Joe Harris
Illustrated by Sebastian Piriz
Lterrered by Carlos M. Mangual
In 2011, the worst earthquake in Japan’s history breached the coastal Fukushima Daiichi power plant, causing three of its four nuclear reactors to melt down. Forced evacuations followed as the event released enough radioactive material into the air, ground and water to force officials to set up an “Exclusion Zone”, effectively sealing off the land for what may well be the rest of human histo-ry. But that’s only if you don’t have the right connections and the desire to experience catastrophe, failure and misery as it really is! Enter DISASTER INC., an underground tourism outfit intent on helping people of means, secrets and agendas explore the dark corners and off-map attractions typ-ical tour groups won't go to (and various laws don’t allow). Only Fukushima, known for its famed warrior class and their protection of the land and people dating back to ancient times, is full of deadly surprises and old ghosts.
I do not believe I have seen a book like this come out, like EVER! There is something about this that takes the idea of Urban Exploration to a different level. It has this Chernobyl Diaries and The Depraved mixed into its DNA and with the mood, tone and feel of the book. Also those are two very underrated films in my humble opinion. What I see because of this and having been a fan of Joe’s writing is that while you feel you may know what is going to happen, in reality you don’t. Nothing here is what it appears to be on the surface and as the layers begin to be peeled, much like a Bloomin’ Onion, we’ll be treated to some really thought provoking events.
I am thoroughly enjoying the way that this is being told. The opening is eye catching and creepy as all get out while it captures the readers’ imagination. It is the perfect opening for a story like this one and well I can’t way much more. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented to the reader beautifully. I like how the flow of the story feels and how much it makes sense on a few levels including but not limited to the real life way things occur. The character development is nicely handled though I am looking forward to how their introductions compare to who they really are. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages introducing us to the characters and setting up the plot is a create way to showcase the ebb & flow of the book.
The interiors are more traditionally comic book than I was expecting but give the man his due because the pages look absolutely brilliant! There is magic that happens and you see this in the Butterfly’s and the mysterious figure when it appears because of the atmosphere that Sebastian manages to convey. It kind of gives me the shivers and I love that feeling. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling. More often than not we see backgrounds here, which makes my heart sing, and they give the reader that depth perception, a sense of scale and the overall feeling of size and scope for the story. The colour work is beautifully rendered. I am enamoured with the way we see the hues and tones being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. The work provides this unique sense of mood, tone and feel which adds to the story in some truly interesting ways.
You are never truly prepared for the Aftershock and it will shake you up and make you want to live, and read, dangerously. This is a prime example of what a creative team can do when they unleash their own charisma, uniqueness, never and talent, we get a freakin phenomenal story from the new home for today’s highest quality comics.