Grief can take many forms, including lethargy and anger, but in Evenfall, it can also be the gateway to new worlds.
Randy:
Evenfall is a new book that made its debut at The Expo earlier this year, and which should be in stores in March 2003. The book is hard to describe, but it seems to be a cross between slice-of-life and dark fantasy.
Don:
Creator Pete Stathis sent along preview copies of the first three issues for review. It was originally entitled The Fall, but to avoid confusion with Ed Brubaker and Jason Lutes's book of the same name, Stathis added on a couple of letters.
Randy:
Since this feature originally ran (in October of 2002), there have been a couple more changes to this book. It now has a third (and final) title, Evenfall, and was picked up by Slave Labor Graphics for publishing. So things might be a little confusing, as retailers and fans ordered copies of The Fallen #1-2 from Blue Feather Press, but will instead be getting copies of Evenfall #1-2 from Slave Labor Graphics. I know it all sounds confusing, but other than a title and publisher change, everything else remains the same, including everything Don and I had to say about the book.
Evenfall #1-3
written and illustrated by Pete Stathis
Don:
Phoebe isn't a happy person. She hates her job as an apartment building super, but what's really got her down is the recent death of her mother. She dreams of being free, and of her mother being alive, but when she wakes, the pain returns. It threatens to swallow her whole... until something altogether weird does instead. Phoebe finds herself shifting back and forth between reality and a odd world comprised of memory and fantasy.
Randy:
The high concept for this book has a great hook, and I was definitely intrigued by the premise and by the beautifully-colored covers. This is a professional production all the way, and I found Stathis artwork to be very solid throughout. I'm also impressed that he is able to tackle such rough subject matter; the idea of losing a family member at a relatively young age is hard, and even if Stathis hasn't experienced such a loss himself, the grief of the lead character seems genuine, and the examination of that grief takes the writer (and the readers) into a very dark place.
Don:
Stathis tells a thoroughly personal story about grief and growing up. It's not terribly difficult to see something of ourselves in Phoebe, even if we haven't through the same sort of life-altering trauma she has. We've all felt completely overwhelmed by the world around us, by our responsibilities and by our own shortcomings. And that's what this book is about: dealing with those challenges. It's about making that awkward transition from teen to adult, but in the midst of what must seem like emotional torture.
Randy:
While I love the concepts, though, I have to confess that at times the execution falls short for me. I have three issues of the book in front of me, but there's not much of a chance to explain what's going on with the lead character in those issues. Is she having a psychotic breakdown, is she actually visiting a fantasy realm, is it some combination of the two? Given the tone of the book, the answer isn't immediately clear, and so it's never really clear what danger the character is really in during the fantasy sequences.
Don:
I rather enjoy that vague quality. I think the answer lies somewhere in between, and the mix of psychological and supernatural horror is enticing. Furthermore, the elements that seem to be supernatural are occasionally playful, and it brings a delightful sense of humor to an otherwise dark and downtrodden story. Not that there's anything wrong with the darker side of the book, but the humor breaks up some of the tension nicely.
Randy:
I must confess that I also found the constant geek culture references distracting, particularly when some of them (the role-playing sequence in particular) seemed to play up stereotypes that I've never encountered. I've been in a fair number of role-playing groups, and I've never once run across one that actually plays in costume, but it seems to be a visual shortcut that Stathis uses to indicate how out-of-touch with reality these characters are. Perhaps its meant as a conterpoint to the break with reality that the protagonist is having, an ironic choice given her mockery of the role-players, but it doesn't quite connect.
Don:
On this point, we agree. The other characters... well, they're not characters, really, but caricatures. Only Robin boasts a hint of being more than a prop in Phoebe's life, but Stathis doesn't really get into in these first three issues. Mind you, Stathis is making his way into the story at a slow, methodical pace, and it's one that I'm enjoying. It also makes for a thoroughly accessible read in each issue.
Randy:
While the writing didn't always spark my interest, however, the artwork was pretty solid. Stathis has a style that brings the reality-based elements of the story to life, with strong backgrounds and expressive, real characters. In addition, the fantasy sequences are full of unusual and skewed imagery, whether it's the twisting trains, the bizarre lizard creature that represents a threat in the dreams or the creepy intrusion of skulls and other death imagery into the protagonist's memories.
For more information about Evenfall or to see a full preview of the first issue, visit
