A good original premise is not an easy thing to come by these days, but Image seems to have found several creators who have them, and Rex Mundi stands out as one of the most original premises in comics. To be sure, alternative histories are not unusual, but an alternative history that is built on religious and political boundaries from hundreds of years ago and which takes place in a European setting are few and far between, and so Rex Mundi is almost sociological science-fiction as much as it is dark fantasy and crime. Eric J and Jeromy Cox bring the imaginative premise to life in vivid detail, and into this well-realized setting the creators have brought interesting characters and a deepening conspiracy that has captured my attention.
While there is one protagonist in Rex Mundi after an important death in issue one, the story has a vast scope that encompasses a variety of characters. This not only makes it feel like there's real danger to every character, but it allows Nelson and Eric J to explore this society and story from a variety of angles. The masked inquisitors, the sleazy pimp in gentleman's trappings, the ambitious female doctor/politician and of course the deadly and enigmatic man in white are all fascinating elements of the setting as well as interesting characters in their own right.
The setting in Rex Mundi is fairly alien, set in the 1930s but with a history going back hundreds of years that the reader will be unfamiliar with. Nelson and Eric J have dealt with this potential unfamiliarity in two ways, however. One is by giving us a protagonist who is easy to relate to, a crusading doctor who is involved in this far-reaching conspiracy thanks to a close friend. The other is through a variety of engaging text pieces done up in newspaper format that reveal pieces of history and context to give a better sense of the world.
What interests me about Rex Mundi to some degree is how much it is a mix of genres. It has a tone and premise that could be called horror, but it deals in elements of crime and conspiracy fiction, and as I noted above, the alternative history means it could be classified as science-fiction. Nelson and Eric J have really given the book a spooky feel, and it's not hard to feel the sense of foreboding that is closing in on Sauniere or the creepy feeling of being alone in an alley with the tight-lipped man in white. However, Eric J and Jeromy Cox also give a sense of the beauty and history of the setting, with beautifully decorated streets and buildings of a Paris that has not been completely modernized, but still rests on the religious dictates which created one of the most beautiful cities on Earth.
Rex Mundi trades the men in black for silver masked inquisitors, the femme fatale for an ambitious politician and the corrupt shadow government of the United States for a conspiracy within the church, but it really does have all the elements of a good conspiracy story. That would be impressive enough, given that the conspiracy story isn't one often tackled in comics, but the lush art and well-realized alternative history that provides the unique setting makes it all the more impressive.
