My retroactive appreciation of Concrete grows more and more with each issue of The Human Dilemma, the long-awaited return of Chadwick's Concrete to the comics scene. Not only am I enjoying Chadwick's unusual tale of human overpopulation, laced with sex, conspiracy theories, media analysis, a touch of science fact and a touch of science fiction, but it's reminding me of the unique feel that Concrete has always had and making me want to seek out what I've missed in the past. These two issues, having cleared the setup portion of the series, delve into the complications, whether it's the inevitable political fallout and attack journalism on Concrete's new position, a rather important and potentially crushing stumbling block for the relationship between soon-to-be-married Larry and Astra or the slow build threats of a rabid anti-over population spokesman and a conspiracy theorist on the other side. This multi-layered, very human story is accompanied by Chadwick's artwork, which is easily some of the best work I've seen from him.
Chadwick offers up an intelligent and very believable look at the modern political landscape, but instead of turning it to hot-button issues for easy controversy (or even because it's what interests him), he aims at an issue nobody is talking about, but which he still feels is important. The statistics that Chadwick throws out, and the rational, rehearsed and researched way that most of his folks talk, make it feel a little bit like we're sitting through a lesson in overpopulation theory, but it's not out-of-character for his characters (mostly pundits and media types) to be so well-informed and logical. And at any rate, it's fascinating stuff, even if Chadwick and I seem to be on slightly different pages on the topic. At any rate, Chadwick takes what is an emotional subject, tied up in the natural human desire for (and affection for) kids and all the political hot topics of abortion and birth control, and explores it in a way that is more rational, even if it's not even remotely politically neutral.
It's fascinating to see Concrete embroiled not in a world of fake pundits and made-up names but actual recognizable people. Chadwick captures Rush Limbaugh's pompous, half-informed bluster quite well, but this isn't a conservative bash, he also has Concrete facing off with Michael Medved and calling him a brainy and worthy opponent. While there's no secret to be found in Chadwick's political leanings, I think he does an excellent job of providing an (excuse the expression) "fair and balanced" look at the pseudo-political world of talk shows and punditry, and of launching his seasoned script writer in a giant alien body into the middle of it.
While the brutal fight for Concrete's new cause is effective and gripping, however, the most interesting aspect of these two issues is the developments in the relationship between Larry and Astra. Larry's fling is almost inevitable, easy to see coming and yet you keep hoping he'll pull it out somehow. Then the aftermath, when you keep hoping that maybe he'll get away with it, for both their sakes, is blown and the reader is maybe a little shocked, but not really surprised, about that turn of events either. Chadwick does a good job of showing the high tension between the couple, as well as showing the true affection (and resulting guilt) that drives their relationship, and he pulls a particularly evil trick in not letting us see how Astra reacts to the news of Larry's affair, although Larry's high strung state after that sequence gives a pretty strong clue to how it went.
Concrete has science-fiction elements at its core, and indeed there is an interesting science-fiction element developing, with Concrete seemingly "pregnant," but the heart of this book is about the human elements. That means that the story ties into over-population with pregnancy scares and talks of children, and the conflicts are more about people arguing than fist fights or alien invasions. Chadwick's art is uniquely suited to this type of storytelling, with very expressive, soft designs reminiscent of P. Craig Russell or Gene Colan. He also draws some of the sexiest scenes in comics, without going for easy titillation, as well as some of the most brutal moments of subtle emotion like melancholy, guilt or unpleasant surprise. Concrete is a truly adult comic, not for everyone, but for those whose sensibilities extend to somewhat quiet and yet occasionally intense looks into human emotions and political problems, it's a great book to look at. 9/10
