Underground #1
Reviewed by David O' Leary
UNDERGROUND #1
On Sale September 23rd
Story by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Steve Lieber
Colours by: Ron Chan
Publisher: Image
Cover Price: $3.50
Reviewed By: David O' Leary
Book Summery: As WHITEOUT readies to hit theaters worldwide, artist STEVE LIEBER returns to the adventure genre with a new thriller, pairing with acclaimed writer JEFF PARKER (AGENTS OF ATLAS, EXILES)!
Park Ranger and avid caver Wesley Fischer is on a one-woman mission to stop Stillwater Cave from being turned into a tourist trap, but public opinion is not on her side. When locals begin blasting in the cave, Wes and a fellow ranger investigate - and a confrontation spirals into a deadly chase deep under the Kentucky mountains!
From the mind of Jeff Parker who wrote "The Big Book of...' from Paradox Press and Agents of Atlas from Marvel and the pencils of Steve Lieber best known for his work on Whiteout from Oni Press and his lethal work on "On The Road To Perdition' and "Gotham Central' comes a story not quite like anything else on the shelves right now. There are no superpowers, no otherworldly creatures but a story ground in reality and utterly compelling.
The story is set in a small town called Marion where it has become a hot bed of tension as conservationists and businessmen bicker back and forth over a natural cave system named Stillwater. Many of the locals would prefer if the cave would open to the public but as is the case these days with business, it is all about money and the destruction of irreplaceable natural wonders mean nothing to some people. A scene early in the book takes place between the prospective developers and park ranger Wesley where they argue back and forth about the merits of the cave. What I found very interesting was the reactions of the locals to the exchange as Marion is a town with little or no passing trade and the opening of the cave would be very beneficial to the town but what would the development of cave system for monetary purposes mean for the delicate eco system in place there? Well, the locals are like a mass sponge. It would come down to who can make the better argument for the system to be opened to the public or not. They townsfolk are not an educated bunch per se and you can liken the developers to politicians with a canvassing technique where you try dazzle the public with empty smiles and the educated outlining of Wesley goes right over the heads of the townsfolk.
The meat of the story comes from Seth and Wesley. Wesley is driving close to the cave system when she hears a series of explosions. She goes to check them out while Seth is checking out a set of missing keys for entrance to the cave. Seth stumbles across the saboteurs but is injured from an explosion. Wesley after travelling to the site of the explosion finds an unconscious Seth. I liked her reaction to finding him as on the side they are bed buddies so the fear she feels in finding him is palatable and real. This is a really strong first chapter and the real feel of the scenario is contagious and this book is on a winner, I'm sure.
The art is provided by the superb Steve Lieber. A man whose best work is in black and white so it is a bit of a novelty to see it in colour here. He still plays with light and shadow very well even with the help of the colouring from Ron Chan. The tone and look of the story has been set in stone here and the very strong tight pencils that Lieber provides will be the standard bearer for the series. One thing that Lieber does very well are full panels. If you look past the foreground characters and the dialogue you see full detailed panels and that is the mark of a great artist especially on a creator owned book as you know that his heart and soul is in it. Nothing about this project suggests that it is in any way sub standard.
This book will be well worth picking up when it goes on sale later this year. You are getting a creator owned project from two very strong creators and it is these kind of comics that you know will give you good reading, as creator owned projects tend be made with a lot of thought and care and in this book it shines through in spades.
Rating the Issue
| Story Story: Overall 9 Concept - 9 out of 10 Plot - 9 out of 10 Dialogue - 9 out of 10 |
Art Art: Overall 9 Style - 9 out of 10 Storytelling - 9 out of 10 Colour/Tones - 9 out of 10 |
Importance Importance: Overall 8.66 To the Title - 10 out of 10 To the Company - 8 out of 10 To the Medium - 8 out of 10 |
Reviewer Bio
Name: David O' Leary
email: idwfan@yahoo.co.uk
Been reading comics: for about 12 years now.
Review Bio: I am a 26-year-old Hotel Manager from the west coast of the Republic of Ireland and think this is a great way to talk to others about this cool medium. I am a husband to one wife and father to one girl (so far).
Favorites: ONI's Whiteout, Vertigo's Scalped and Garth Ennis Preacher and Punisher in Trades. In comic form I am reading a lot of Marvel and a bit of IDW, Dark Horse & WildStorm among others.
Website: Sorry, I don't have one!
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