By: Gilbert Hernandez (story & art)
The Story: Gilbert Hernandez (of Love & Rockets fame) gives us a new 4-issue limited series about a cop named Fatima and some zombie-like creatures.
Quick review: Confession time….I’ve never read any of Love and Rockets. Lots of my fellow comic fans who enjoy “indie” comics (although I hate the “indie” term) swear by L&R, but I’ve always looked at the vast amount of material that’s been published and said, “Shoosh–that’s a lot of catching up to do when I have so many other things I want to read.” So I’ve never read L&R…. But, I have flipped through enough issue to know that I enjoy the cartooning styles of the Brothers Hernandez so it was a no-brainer to pick up this new miniseries from Dark Horse.
So, what do we get in this first issue? Well, the basic story is that the world has been turned on its ear by a new drug called “Spin”. Basically, Spin gives you the best high ever…..and then you turn into a zombie-like creature. Yet, despite this, many people have been convinced that if they only take a little bit of Spin they’ll be safe. If never turns out that way though and soon the world is teeming with ghouls. It seems like a weird premise for a book: “Why would they keep taking Spin when they see what happens?”…..but we live in a world where bums still drink antifreeze. So, I can manage this aspect of the story.
In this first issue we’re introduced to Fatima, who is a cop. In the early days of the Spin outbreak, she was part of a SWAT-like team (that wears these bizarre thongs outside their uniforms….it’s really weird) trying to take down the big Spin dealers. But, in the present of the comic, she’s a lone character wandering the streets, killing Spin addicts. Those of you looking for strong female characters – here is a good one. Fatima is tough and put together and she doesn’t seem to have any of that exploitative, Lifetime-movie background stuff that writers so often give to female characters (that they were battered wives, raped, former prostitutes, teenage mothers, etc.). As an aside, I loathe that nonsense. Sometimes you wonder if writers understand that a woman can be a strong character without having been molested by her step-father first.
From what I understand of Gilbert’s art, this is pretty classic stuff. It’s all black and white and very direct. One thing I love about his work is how clean his lines are. Every page looks like the work of a guy who has mastered his style and knows how to draw this stuff now. And, while I like my art a little more visceral than Gilbert’s, I have to respect his storytelling. In every panel, you could ditch the words and have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.
Conclusion: Fans of the Hernandez brothers were probably already aware of this, but if you’re looking for something a little different, you could do worse than sampling a 4-issue story from a modern master of indie-comics. Heck…even if you don’t LOVE it, you’ll get some street cred with the cool kids at the comic shop who won’t touch an X-Men comic.
Grade: B
– Dean Stell
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Conclusion