Some days, it feels like Don and Randy are smothered in a pile of review submissions. But this time out, they've broken the surface to review The Drowned.
Randy:
Image is getting more and more into the original graphic novel business, and while they're not all winners, some gems do shine through. The Drowned looks like one of those gems, a ghost story/mystery set in 1800s France and featuring an escaped lunatic with a dark past as the hero of a story that pits him against witches, corrupt knights templar and evil itself.
Don:
The Drowned is unique for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the art is fully painted artwork, a rarity in a project from tyro creators. Mind you, Randy and I haven't seen the painted art yet, as our advance review copies are made up of black-and-white, preliminary line art.
The Drowned
written by Laini Taylor-Di Bartolo
illustrated by Jim Di Bartolo
published by Image Comics
scheduled for release July 7
Don:
After being locked away in an insane asylum for years, Theophile is suddenly inspired to escape his captivity to return to the part of western France where he grew up. There, the paranoid madman happens upon a strange town, and he makes an amazing discovery: his sister, whom he believed to be dead, appears to him, apparently alive and well. All is not as it seems, though, and not just because of Theo's unbalanced mental state and fractured memory. He finds himself caught up in something supernatural. Theo's past, memories of murder and the pleadings of spirits drive him forward, down a path leading to revenge.
Randy:
I'm a very picky horror fan, and though I consider myself a fan of good horror, I don't really consider myself a fan of the genre. I want to be scared, but not too scared. I want to be taken for a ride, but I want the story to be grounded enough that I can relate to our protagonist. And if I'm hard on horror movies, I'm even tougher on horror comics, which might be the toughest genre to tackle in the entire medium. So I'm saying something when I say that The Drowned, a comic that is as much horror as mystery, is a pretty good read.
Don:
There are horror elements here, yes, but this struck as being more of a gothic tale of mystery. The creators draw the reader into the story with all of the questions that loom over the main character, and it's the quest for the answers, ever so slowly and steadily revealed as the plot progresses, that serves as the book's greatest appeal. In some ways, it reminded me of The Others, a superb Nicole Kidman film that seems like a ghost story but is really a murder mystery.
Randy:
I wasn't sure what to make of The Drowned at first, as Taylor-Di Bartolo's initial narration was a little overwritten, aiming to convey the mad world view of our lunatic protagonist but also reading a bit like goth poetry, which is just not my kind of thing in general. However, as the book settled into a rythym, the more flowery descriptions blended smoothly into more believable dialogue, and I was drawn into the world that the Di Bartolos had created. There's a terrific sense of mystery that begins around the time our protagonist leaves the asylum and doesn't let up until the end, and I love the ambiguity of who are the good guys and who are the bad guys of the story.
Don:
I agree about the gradual shift in tone in the script. It seems as though the writer got more comfortable with the character as the story progressed, but the shift could have easily been intentional. In the opening scene, it's Theo who seems like he is the threat, not the hero, and perhaps the more stilted tone is meant to keep the reader off balance.
Randy:
Taylor-Di Bartolo's story is full of interesting ideas, from a story of the Knights Templar, who they are and what they want to a story of ghosts and witches that leaves the reader guessing until the very end. One of the best ways to do spooky in comics is to give a sense of isolation, and Taylor-Di Bartolo does a very good job with this kind of thing, especially since the few companions that our protagonist has are either supernatural, slightly off-kilter or both, making him feel all the more alone.
Of course, some if not the majority of the credit on this sense of isolation and creepiness must go to Jim Di Bartolo, the illustrator of the book. He gives a perfect tinge of madness to characters like Bette and Demselle, the keepers of the protagonist's home, and a disturbing, creepy feeling to his ghostly sister that bears out nicely by the end. In addition, there's a very nicely done action sequence with realistic, horrible violence that blends nicely with the gothic mystery tone. I've only read this in black and white form, which means I can't testify to how good the final painted pages will look, but the layouts are solid and the storytelling very engaging.
Don:
At first, the art concerned me a bit, as too many scenes lacked depth and texture. Then I realized this will be a fully painted project, and the sometimes-flat nature of the line art made sense. Even these preliminary pages are often visually impressive, though. Di Bartolo's realistic style puts me in mind of the styles of such artists as Tony (Starman) Harris and Michael (Sandman: The Wake) Zulli. One of my favorite visual elements in the book are the ravens. Randy mentions how strong the main character is isolated in this book, and another way that's accomplished is by the artist's portrayal of the ravens' empty eyes. It seems as though the ravens observe Theo with an ambivalent distance. It's a creepy, unsettling effect, and it adds a great deal to the supernatural atmosphere of the story.
Randy:
The Drowned is a compelling mix of conspiracy, dark fantasy, horror and mystery, with well-realized characters and a twisting story. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the stories of M. Night Shyamalan, and definitely recommend it to those with an interest in the period piece conspiracy/horror of Image book Rex Mundi.
Email Randy and Don comments about this review.
