At first, it seems as though Fell is going to be another effort to blend a cop drama with some weirdness, be it science-fiction elements or the supernatural. Ellis has done it before, after all. But by the end of the issue, it's clear that this is more of a straightforward cop drama with a sharp edge and strong foundation in characterization (albeit occasionally extreme characterization). Nevertheless, the book is immersed in an eerie tension that enhances the intensity of the circumstances and the characters, and much of the credit for that unsettling, abnormal atmosphere lies with the artist. Ben Templesmith's style is perfectly suited for bringing Ellis's over-the-top characters and seedy settings to life. But in the end, I think it's the plausibility and grounded nature of these shattered people that serve as the book's greatest strength, drawing the reader in with the possibility of reality.
Detective Richard Fell has been transferred to Snowton, a city within a city where dreams go to die. The area has few good cops, so he figures this career move might be a great way to get noticed by his higher-ups. Little does he know that Snowton rarely gives up those who are foolish or unfortunate enough to live there. Fell doesn't even have a chance to move into his new apartment before he gets involved in a murder investigation, and at the precinct, he discovers his boss has already been defeated by the job and the place.
Templesmith is careful in his depiction of the title character. He's certainly no lantern-jawed, all-American beefcake cop hero, but at the same time, he doesn't come off as meek or weak. We can see his mental focus and his dedication to his job. More importantly, Templesmith establishes a foreboding, supernatural atmosphere throughout the book, and he depicts several of the other characters as somewhat monstrous in appearance. There's a brief glimpse of a character who looks like the ghostly fiends from such films as Ringu and Ju-on (and their U.S. counterparts).
Ellis's own personality and life is apparent in this book, as fans who follow his online writings will see. The title character has a penchant for taking pictures of little pieces of his life and things aruond him that interests him, and it definitely puts on in mind of the photographs Ellis occasionally posts in online journals. The writer provides some explanation as to why the character takes these pictures, and it says a great deal about the character's past while showing the reader only the briefest of glimpses of it.
Ellis plays with the reader's expectations, leading him down one path only to arrive at an unexpected destination. Fell's encounter with the bartender doesn't end predictably at all, and the the writer leads us to believe the suspicious death is one thing, then another and then something else altogether. The ultimate twist is that there's really no twist at all, that this is a stright-up cop story without the supernatural Sixth Sense twist. But that feeling is so strong that the reader still waits for it. Maybe it will materialize in a future issue, maybe not, but I know I'll keep looking for it, and I doubt I'll be disappointed no matter how it plays out. 9/10
