Image Comics 2019
Written by Cullen Bunn & Kyle Strahm
Illustrated by Baldemar Rivas
Lettered by Crank!
Escorted by military hard cases, a group of scientists descend into a strange cave system in hopes of unlocking the secrets of a flesh-warping infection. But the cave system is crawling with hideous creatures that not only twist flesh, but minds as well! Is it possible this disease is working with a ghastly purpose?
The opening here is a wow factor and for I have no idea what reason other than the game intrigued me and how that fourth page went yeah. Two for the price of one and I gotta say both did the same for and to me. I wanted to know what the hell was going on and I wanted to see more and a lot sooner than we're going to. The pick up from last issues ending where we see those on the cots wake up was so horror film inspired and it gave me chills. That is what I expect to be seeing when these two gentlemen get together to write a story together.
The way that we see the story & plot development and the character development being picked up and carried along like a firestorm in the pacing is sensational. The logical step that the characters are undertaking after the cave in has split them up, one wanting to dig their way out the other moving deeper into the cave system because there is supposedly another exit. We've all seen Descent and The Cave, which is among my faves, and this kind of system is not only dangerous for those who don't know what they are doing but they are filled with creatures and organisms that have evolved here that don't care about humans, aren't afraid of humans and will consider us prey, i.e. food. For me anyway this is just almost pure excitement as I wait to see what is going to appear and who's going to be taken out quickly.
The characterisation is interesting to see. I say interesting because I don't feel as if what we are seeing here is how you would expect to see it happen. There is some nice innovation happening in this storytelling and I applaud the outside the box way of being able to present the characterisation in a fresh perspective. Then of course there are a few other titbits that going about things in a more straightforward fashion so the blending of the two to create a fuller picture is extremely well done.
Baldemar does some wonderful work on the interior pages here. I am impressed that he is does it all and everything we see from the linework to the colouring is exactly how he intends it to be. The linework is gorgeous and the way that we see the varying weights utilised to create that attention to detail is very impressive. From page five onward where it's all underground he manages to create the sensation of being closed in with them. You feel the unease of being trapped and it's just bloody brilliant work that is being done because I think this is the first time I feel that sensation. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a stupendous eye for storytelling. The colour work is gorgeous as well. The way that light sources are utilised and how they create the shading and shadows is delightfully done and spotlights how hues and tones can make us feel.
The way everything is playing out is so near perfection to me. This has a way of scooping you up and engaging you in some truly wondrous ways. It has a science fiction feel though it's deep in the earth and it has this delicious horror aura that permeates the readers' mind and soul. It also has this great little mystery surrounding it as they find themselves engaged in trying to piece it all together. Leave it to these these three, no not Beaver, to create something familiar yet unique and full of this unidentifiable flavour we can't enough of.