While Concrete was at one point a fairly popular indy book, I suspect that for most comic readers, it remains an undiscovered treasure. I know that I have only read a smattering of Chadwick's unusual superheroic protagonist trapped in a slice-of-life book. Fortunately, Dark Horse is making it easy to remedy that, by producing new, chronological editions of Chadwick's Concrete, and the first volume, Depths, starts things off on a very strong note. This volume contains Concrete's origin, how he met his most notable supporting cast members Dr. Maureen Vonnegut and Larry Munro and several tales of adventure and survival that set the tone for how Concrete's adventures will play out. Concrete is a very unusual book, a story of a man with extraordinary abilities and origins who strives to do extraordinary things, but within the limits largely set by humanity, making it more than slice-of-life but less than outright science fiction or superhero. It's a thinking man's approach to the superhero genre, and it is very compelling reading.
In reading the stories in "Depths," it's clear that Chadwick uses Concrete as sort of a fictional alter-ego for exploration of things that interest him personally. In fact, though Ron Lithgow, the man who would be Concrete, is not Chadwick, there's definitely some similarities in there that makes Concrete read a little bit like wish-fulfilment autobiography in some ways. Certainly the joy of the unexplored ocean or underground caves comes through in Concrete's exploration, and that seems to be very much in line with Chadwick's philosophy of the wonder of exploring and adventuring.
But then, I might be reading some of that into the story because Ron Lithgow is such a well-realized character. Chadwick uses an omniscient third-person narrator rather than the first-person narration common in modern comics, but he also uses the old fashioned (and perfectly suitable) thought balloon, and the result is that the reader gets to know Concrete's thoughts and emotions pretty well, even though the third person narration might otherwise be distancing. Certainly it doesn't hurt that Concrete is a thinking man, not an action hero, and so he puts a lot of thought and emotional exploration into all the situations he is in. Concrete's life is outrageous and he always recognizes this fact, turning over all the implications of his alien body and human mind in all the situations that he is in so that the reader can easily find sympathy and common cause with this unusual creature.
While the core of Concrete is very human, its foundation laid on the relationships between Concrete, Larry and Maureen, the actual events that take place in Concrete's life are far more unusual. The adventures that Concrete undertakes are close to human experiences, but pushed to a more dramatic extreme. His swim across the Atlantic and the tale of survival that ensues is close enough to reality to be harrowing, but there's a fantastic element to it that makes it even more gripping. His journey into the world of eccentric rocker The Duke is not unlike Cameron Crowe's exploration of similar experiences in Almost Famous, but the introduction of a murder plot and the vast eccentricities of The Duke make it a little more unreal. Certainly the story of Concrete's origin is very much out there science-fiction, but the methodical way in which Ron and his friend Michael figure out what's going on and try to escape rings true, and the friendship between Ron and Michael is so true that I find myself hoping Chadwick one day shows us whatever happened to Michael, although I think at this point that's unlikely.
The dramatic structure of Concrete is unlike most comics. As Chadwick himself notes in the introduction, it's hard for many to wrap their head around the notion that the aliens are more or less a plot device, and they're not returning for revenge, or that Concrete's challenges will be personal, about surviving a change and continuing to live life, rather than larger-than-life, pitted against conveniently powered foes. Chadwick's writing is also unusual, thoughtful and detailed in its analysis of how people act and think, from the incongruous use of civil disobedience tactics when the military needs to restrain Concrete to the outrageous behavior of Anonymoose, the ridiculous comedian who harasses Concrete when he's on the Tonight Show. That doesn't mean there aren't some conventional moments in Concrete, however, such as a laugh-out-loud visual punchline to "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" or the humbling moments that Concrete faces in a number of the stories, realizing that for all his unusual strength and toughness, he's still not perfect.
Chadwick's artwork is pretty spectacular throughout this volume, grounded very much in the real, and that is what helps to sell Concrete in large measure as human and approachable. Maureen, Larry and all the others that Concrete meets have a wide range of emotions visible in their reactions to the events around them, and this helps to convey the emotion that Concrete's rocky body really can't. Chadwick also likes to experiment with storytelling devices, such as the 150-panel page of Concrete swimming or unusual perspective shots like the overhead view of Concrete struggling with Anonymoose and the decision about unmasking him, and these experiments give the artwork a liveliness and energy that might be lacking in a more straightforward presentation of Chadwick's realistic style.
This was not my first exposure to Concrete, but the presentation, and these early stories, almost made it feel like something brand new. Certainly I've discovered why the book is held in such high esteem by so many, as it really is a completely different type of story that is hard to categorize and near impossible to put down.
