Real Ones: Scott Snyder’s Splash
Clear #1
Scott Snyder, Francis Manapul,
Dark Horse
Clear is the newest comic from Scott Snyder and artist Frances Manapul. The story was initially published on Snyder’s Substack and now appears in print, courtesy of Dark Horse. Clear is a crime noir set in a future not unlike Blade Runner. It takes place in San Francisco in 2052, and it begins with a woman walking down the Golden Gate Bridge. She climbs up to the top and leaps. While she’s falling we see the fantasy worlds that she is envisioning. We later learn that these artificial worlds are called veils.
“It started with the evolution of the Internet. Big tech, making something that we could hook into directly. No more computers, just… us“ Over time, veil filters can be implanted into humans to be able to see whatever they want. In this dark future, the real world is still there, but veil allows the individual to experience a fantasy world of their own choosing. We see a veil showing the 1980s, we see someone living in a zombie apocalypse, a porn world, etc.
Enter Detective Sam Dunes. He is one of the only people to see the world clearly (as it is) without a veil. Sam is charged with hunting down black veils, illegal, unregistered veils that you buy when you don’t want anyone to see what you’re doing. Sam is an expert at tracking characters from the underworld who are selling these illegally.
Sam is connected to the woman who jumped off the bridge, and after he identifies her body, he is beset with memories of their relationship together. After a string of clues, Sam becomes convinced that the woman who jumped from the bridge, Kendra, was actually murdered. At this point Sam is not concerned with his primary job, but instead turns his attention towards solving the mystery of how and why Kendra was murdered.
First, the cover jumped out at me because of the amazing colors that paint a neon future and jump off of the page. Scott Snyder‘s writing is fantastic here although it’s slightly overshadowed by the gorgeous artwork by Manapul. Everything about the design (even the paper pages) screams quality. This is the book I needed to read. I can’t recommend Clear highly enough, as it’s super stylish, dark and mysterious. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Where Monsters Lie #1
Kyle Starks, Piotr Kowalski,
Dark Horse
Where Monsters Lie is the newest series from writer Kyle Starks, who I came to know through I Hate This Place - one of my favorite comics in recent memory. This new book takes place in a gated community which houses a group of murderers, slashers and monsters with names like Puzzleman, Fuckmaster, and Daniel Dawson. The matriarch of this dysfunctional family is Zel, a seemingly fragile elderly woman. She is the head of the operation and keeps the family in line and out of the public eye.
In this first issue, Puzzleman decides to attack one of the neighboring houses and four kids escape from the basement where they were locked. One of the kids, Linus, cleverly hides in the bushes, while the other three knock on a neighbor’s door for help. Unfortunately for them, they find Zel who promptly murders them, with some help from Frankie & Pearl and Daniel Dawson.
Linus escapes the gated community and goes to the authorities to tell them his story. There encounters special agent, Connor Hayes, who has experience with these types of monsters. When Linus gives descriptions of some of the killers he saw, the agent’s eyes grew wide in amazement. All these killers in one place! The issue ends with agent Hayes and Linus showing up with a squad of police cars, ready to infiltrate the secret community.
Within the walls of the community, there are some hilarious moments like when Richard, the menacing clown, complains about having to sit next to Fuckmaster at a meeting. “He freaks me out, man” and Zel replies, “Yeah, he’s the Fuckmaster. That’s his whole thing.” We also get a walk-through of the community, where Wyatt, the second in command, points out that Fuckmaster has lost his bloodlust. He’s ordered axes, lawnmowers, and chainsaws, but he uses them to take care of his lawn.
I really really enjoyed this first issue and lI love the cast of characters involved. They’re all terrifying and at the same time, hilarious. Kyle Starks once again proves deft at mixing the frightening with the funny. Kowalski is the perfect artist for the story and he manages to make each of these killers stand out as real characters.. I look forward to reading the series and it comes highly recommended for any fans of I Hate This Place or other horror comedies.
Blue Book #1
James Tynion IV, Michael Oeming
Dark Horse
Blue Book is a new series from acclaimed writer, James Tynion IV, which first appeared on his Tiny Onion Substack. It details real accounts of UFO encounters. The first story in the series tells the story of Betty and Barney Hill, from a night in 1961. They were driving home from Montreal to their home in New Hampshire where they encountered a bright light, which Barney uses every excuse to deny - it’s a commercial plane line, a satellite, a helicopter. When he finally gets out of the car and stares this object down that’s been following them, he comes face-to-face with the craft and the life forms inside.
Michael Oeming’s illustrations and colors are filled with deep shadows and shades of blue. It’s a very simple palette which feels appropriate for that time of the sighting and the characters involved. It makes for strong visual storytelling. It’s unclear how much of the dialogue Tynion wrote himself, and how much was pulled from the account from the Hills themselves. Either way, it’s fascinating stuff.
Blue Book is a really promising new series. It’s a quick read, easy to understand, and at the same time, completely wondrous. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in UFOs or alien encounters.
