Carnouche Productions 2018
Created & Written by Christian Carnouche
Illustrated by Crizam Zamora
Coloured by Salvatore Aiala
Lettered by Cardinal Rae
“In a future where death is not always the end, a lonely yet resolute Aboriginal-Australian detective challenges the world’s most powerful corporation in a battle to save his people from almost certain extinction. If he is to succeed, he must re-discover his Indigenous roots while also finally learning to overcome the loss of his family who died in the techno-plague that ravished Australia five years earlier.”
The opening is pretty spectacular here as we get to see Cain telling us about his peoples history. That the aboriginal people had to endure the same atrocities that the Native American’s did isn’t really a surprise after all the same people invaded, yes invaded, both continents. England sent it’s unwanted masses to clear their prisons to Australia while religious zealots and soldiers came to the America’s looking to bolster their economy. Either way you slice it both locales did heinous things to those who were indigenous to those locations. That’s what you think about reading the opening, or at least I did and ya know what it’s something to think about. This is history and it happened and there’s no getting around that or sugar coating it. This is what strong writing does it makes you think and this heavy stuff, in a good way.
So after that Christian doesn’t waste any time getting the story underway. Talking to his wife and daughter while driving wasn’t what we should be seeing but hey the three way conversation gave both Cain and his daughter a first hand look at the event that would come to dominate the story. As luck would have it Cain was in New York working for the U.N. when it happened and could watch in horror as events unfolded.
Honestly I would have like to see more focus on what happen to the country with that event. I think it would have been interesting to see just what effect it had instead of one two page spread that shows a city with some minor vehicle inconvenience. That gap to five years later left me with questions and concerns because the flow should have been showing us the devastation and decision making from Cain, instead I felt like we started a new story.
So future gadgets are cool and the glasses that Akim uses to identify a victim, tell if they are alive or dead have some neat qualities to them. I like the advancement without it feeling unrealistic just a progression of what we have now. So Rezzy’s are folks who have been resurrected to have another chance at life. They are not zombies but normal people with normal lives however I guess depending if you wanted to be resurrected or not can come into play when a Rezzy takes their own life.
Crizam is an artist I think the world needs to see more of. So far I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve seen him do and this is no different. The attention to detail is superb and the linework has some of the best subtlety to it that is being done today. One note on the colouring here be careful about the shade of Cain’s body because it tends to fluctuate sometimes and it can be distracting. The use of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a solid eye for storytelling. That Crizam isn’t afraid to fill the panels with backgrounds with the same level of detail is beyond spectacular for me. This really does enhance the writing.
When we meet Xander Drexler the story starts to expand more and we’re getting to see slightly what the impact of the company Cain’s wife worked for has on this world. A company that has it’s finders in far more than what the public knows isn’t a cause for concern right? Okay so I like that we have this Xander as someone we can focus on who’s experiments and technology are going far beyond what any watchdog group has set for them. There are also a couple more characters introduced here that have the potential to shake up Cain’s life in new ways and that should be something to see happen.
This is creative and has a nice slant to it that hasn’t been seen in this way before. Whether or not this turns into a horror story remains to be seen but that Xander is mucking about with stopping death it shouldn’t be long before we find out. I am interested in seeing more because what's here is enough to wet your appetite and leave wanting to see the growth of the creators. You can find more information here-- http://carnoucheproductions.com/ -- on how to get a copy for yourself.