Comics of the Week - Tension is Good

Storytelling, specifically horror and suspense stories, are about building and releasing tension. Even the most basic story sets up something to keep the reader turning pages in hopes of a resolution. Sometimes, the tension is subtle. Other times it's almost unbearable. Severed has pushed the tension about as far as I have ever seen without a big release. And it's great. If this book were a rubber band, Scott Snyder, Scott Tuft and Attila Futaki would be pulling at three ends, with the reader stuck in the middle hoping they don't let go, but knowing they will. . . eventually, so just do it, please, I can't take it!!! We know the main character is going to lose an arm at some point, because we saw him as an old man in the first issue. We've had several moments along the way where this could have happened. Could have, but didn't. Each issue has been another example of how it actually is possible to be invested in how things play out, even when you have a pretty good idea of what it is that will happen. Yes, this is a horror story and yes it's a period piece, taking place during the depression. But at the end of the day, it's just a well crafted story that is playing with the readers ability to bear the tension. It's like funk. James Brown's theory of funk was about holding on the first beat before going to two. So it's ONE. . . . two, three, four, ONE . . . two,three, four. I guess what I'm saying is that as far as horror comics go, this is one baaad motha. . .

On the flip side, we have a book that has built tension as well, but with this issue, released it in a beautiful climax filled with excitement, surprises and emotion. Way back, in the first arc of Uncanny X-Force, things were set up that paid off in this issue, and I, for one, didn't see it coming. If I've grown to love Fantomex through this series, this issue elevated him to another level. And then there's the whole Six Feet Under moment with Warren and Betsy that was extremely moving. My only complaint may be that the power of this scene may have been undercut a couple of pages later. Either way, this is one of the best resolutions to an arc in an ongoing series I've ever read. Remender was able to wrap it up in a true ending, even while setting up pieces for the future. That's no small accomplishment. Opena and Ribic on art blend perfectly with each other and the story. This is easily one of the best books being published right now, by anybody. I can't wait to see what Remender has planned next for this team.

Comics of the Week

It's official. The best book of the Flashpoint tie ins, by far, was Batman Knight of Vengeance. If I had any complaint about this mini series, it would be that it could have maybe used one more issue, but that's really just maybe. This issue wrapped up what is basically the story of two parents who lost a child and dealt with it in different, horrifying ways. In the end, it's a metaphor for some very real issues and that's where the power of this lies. Sure, on one level Azzarello and Risso give us a gritty Batman story, but, really it doesn't have to be Batman at all. It could easily just be any two parents.The creepy factor in this issue comes mostly from the recognition that these are human beings. Where the Joker in regular continuity is best when he's least explained, here the origin gave the story depth. The flashback panels of the Waynes in Crime Alley capture the desperation and horror of losing a child while perfectly illustrating how each parent will be dealing with the loss. By the time we get to the end, where the Flashpoint part of this comes into play (if only slightly), Martha's reaction is just perfect. There's no happy ending to this story in any universe.

Severed #1 is the beginning of something that I think could be as big as Walking Dead. That might sound like a huge exaggeration based on one issue, where, to be honest, not a lot happens, but what is evident in this book is an attention to detail that is setting up a mood, a time and a place in a way that few books do or can. Scott Snyder (yeah, him again) and Scott Tuft are in no hurry to give us big scares and gore. Instead, they are meticulously setting up the characters and putting us in the middle of life in 1916 America in a way that is not glamorized at all. And what they do with the writing is carefully supported by Attila Futaki's art. Like the best horror movies, even when nothing is happening, you feel tension from the way even the most mundane images are composed. The slightly off balance frames make every page ominous in subliminal ways that emphasize the danger of a boy heading out to be a hobo and ride the rails. This is horror done right.