Statix Press/Titan Comics 2017
Written by Christophe Bec
Illustrated by Stefano Raffaele
Coloured by Christian Favrelle
Translated by Mark McKenzie-Ray
Some people bury their secrets underground. In megalopolis, the filth flows into the sewers. Lt. Wilson Jericho, disgraced above ground and busted down to an officer in the Sewer Police, thinks he knows everything there is to know about what lies beneath. But scientist Sandra Yeatman is determined to discover the truth behind the urban legends – and prove that something monstrous will soon crawl out and rip the city apart!
Okay I am a huge fan of things that live under the city, in sewers you name it. It has that B-movie quality to it that just takes me back to my youth and where I learned to love any and all kinds of those films. There’s unimaginable horror that awaits our intrepid heroes beneath the city and soon they’ll have to figure out a way to destroy what’s there and save the lives of everyone on the streets above. I mean what’s not to love about that whole premise? Plus while it may have some qualities that we attribute to made for SyFy films yet for me this feels far superior in both concept and execution.
Why is it that from what we’ve been exposed to thus far European comics have such a high standard of quality to them? From concept through execution the writing here is fantastic it has some solid characterisation and while it may seem to jump the flow is amazingly good. From the opening which we learn is a flashback that leads up the present circumstances is strong and has the right kind of characterisation to get the reader involved in what’s going on.
As we are introduced to life below the city we see that there once was a city that reached further out and it’s in ruins. So perhaps there was some kind of global disaster that occurred which in return meant the rebuilding of a city atop the destroyed one which in turn makes these tunnels that much larger then what we know today. I am impressed with our introduction to the sewers and the journey we take. That was certainly an eye catcher as well as leaving the reality to our imagination which is much creepier than seeing in on the page.
Speaking of what’s on the page I’m blown away by the level of talent and skill that we see here. The linework is exquisite and the fact that you can even see tufts of hair in Jericho’s armpit show that even the littlest of details is important. The use of page layouts and their angles and perspective show a very strong eye for storytelling. Also that Stefano utilises the backgrounds so that each panel expands the story is perfectly done. There may be so much to see but it all works in ways that almost trick the eye and allow for us to see and understand this world. The creativity and imagination that we see inspired from the real world in what we see in the sewers are definitely wow moments.
Once Jericho is introduced to Yeatman things begin to move more quickly. While it certainly doesn’t hurt that this is an oversized issue the ebb and flow of the story is so well done it’s a pure joy. You can read this and get to the end and not realise it’s an oversized issue and still want more after the last page. There is some clear concise characterisation going on here and there is open unanswered questions about the past that linger beautifully.
This may be the basis for many a B-movie plot but it’s strong writing, pacing and character development alongside some of the most stunning artwork make this something you’ll devour. Not to mention it would make an excellent cinematic experience. I want more of this kind of storytelling from these guys so keep bringing us some of Europe’s finest.