Review: Undergound

[angelophile]

The more I see of mainstream comics currently, the more inclined I am to dive into creator-owned projects. The Image panel at Bristol did a lot to open my eyes to creator-owned - a lot of it down to the sheer enthusiasm of the creators on the panel for the work they're doing - Charlie Adlard on Waking Dead, Ian Churchill on Marineman, Kieron Gillen on Phonogram and so on. That enthusiasm rubs off, but also disillusionment with the direction of most mainstream titles pushes me further and further into digging out more creator-owned material.

Take, for example, Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber's Underground. An example where I didn't so much hunt out creator-owned material as have it recommended to me by my local comic store guy. Who is a man of taste and whose opinion I'm starting to put more faith in. I'll certainly follow his recommendations more closely, because Underground is a great read.

The main, female protagonist is park ranger Wesley Fischer, who is committed to protecting the natural environment of a local cave. Here she comes into conflict with some of the townsfolk in the local community, who believe that the best thing for the town would be developing the caves for tourism, despite the damage it would cause.

It's an interesting set up and well handled. You feel sympathy for Wesley's concerned about the impact tourism would have on the ancient cave system, but also with the members of the township who are desperate for the influx of cash tourism would bring.

So, strong characterisation that quickly backs up the action story that unfolds as Wesley and her potential love interest and fellow park ranger Seth are trapped in the cave in a deadly game of subterranean cat and mouse unfolds. What I especially like is that Wesley clearly is the lead and Seth is cast in the role traditionally reserved for female protagonists - he's the pretty one who needs rescuing. The fact that Seth's also a POC means that the book effectively ticks a lot of the boxes that I look for in books these days - strong, diverse characters and a variety in the representations of women and minorities.

The story, as well, is a corker and the tension is quickly ramped up in set pieces and atmospheric underground locations, helped by Lieber's expressive art style and the great work of colourist Ron Chan who mixes the bright colours of the outdoor locations with the desaturated darkness in the cave wonderfully. The story itself is straightforward, even simple, but Parker's dialogue sparkles and brings the situations and characters to life. The dialogue feels natural and realistic, which, in an "action" book is a tough one to pull off.

A great little book, then, and a perfect example of when creator-owned projects succeed - Parker and Lieber's love of the project is clear on the page. I hope that it gets optioned for the movie treatment, because it has great potential to be a real nailbiter.

Image have made the first issue available in its entirety, in black and white as opposed to the final release in colour, here.