
American Gothic Press 2016
Written by Tom Riordan
Illustrated by Nathan Gooden
Lettered by Marshall Dillon
I’m incredibly intrigued by this series. I’ve seen variations before in horror movies but it’s usually those who were kidnapped and forced to fight for their lives and the last one standing was free to go. This one where the contestants volunteer for the fight to earn money, usually as a last resort to help loved ones for various reasons is much more complex. That we saw many of the contestants last issue was great but we didn’t get to delve into how the city of Los Angeles could contain them. Yes big brother and technology could follow them at any given point in time but this is a living, breathing city so how can they control what happens within?
I do like the opening this issue because it goes a long way to explain how they can operate in this city. That Tom has gone and really thought through how a city would be structured both through normal channels and it’s underbelly and incorporated it into this story is pretty amazing to think about. I also appreciate that there is at least one of those assembled that thinks his crew doesn’t need to cooperate with them. It makes things seem just a tad bit more realistic instead of just one shadowy organization in charge of it all.
So with the revelations of how things are we also get a great deal of excellent characterization. The characters we see in action this issue are being fleshed out more and their skillsets are nicely on display. It’s very interesting to see how Irwin and Emi go after each other and then later in the story how the odds are updated and transmitted to the other players. I feel like the way that Tom has structured the story is one of the smartest things i’ve seen done in comics right now. There’s an intelligence to this that belies the subject matter and really gets the reader’s attention and draws you into what’s happening.
I think this wouldn’t be as successful if it were in colour. Yes I went there because this black and white, with gray tones, that Nathan brings us has this whole throwback quality to it that harkens back to the days when movies were epics and not just schlock. Nathan has the ability to add high drama to the work this way and his eye for storytelling in how the flow of the book should be demonstrates that mixture of media making it feel cinematic. We get that sense of tension, regret, fear and drama that this kind of story needs.
As we learn about motives on both sides of the playing field allegiances change and you start to look at characters differently. Those you might not care about from the start begin to take on new meaning to you and that’s a sign of great writing. The same can also be said for the opposite, intrigue can turn to disdain and you may find yourself wanting to see something happen to a character that you hadn’t expected to feel.
There are still plenty of huge and small reveals that are waiting to be doled out here and that is a huge factor for coming back. Our innate desire to know more and fully is utilized quite well here. I think this is one of those books that you may overlook at first but should take a good hard second look at because it’s going to surprise you and leave you wanting more.