REVIEW: TerriTory #'s 1 & 2

STORY

The world of TerriTory is the story of a world after the fall of man and the struggle for survival in the aftermath of that but it is also the story of the struggle of faith and a lack of such.

This story is set an untold number of years after a nuclear war destroyed the world we know but it seems likely that this was a nuclear conflict and the radiation released has given rise to titanic mutants known as Behemoths who have become the new gods that man worships in fear and penance in the aftermath of the destruction of civilization.

There is a nice bit of world building here as Blake sets the stage for this drama introducing us to both the world and its main protagonists Alkia and Neebo, though this is primarily her story. While these too are clearly close and perhaps even in love, conflict arrises due to Alkia’s total devotion to the supreme beast of the land The Great One or Great Horn as the kaiju sized Bear/Elk is known and Neebo’s assertion that it is not a god but merely a gigantic animal with no devotion to its “subjects”.

This presents an interesting dichotomy between the couple and we watch as a friendly rivalry becomes more heated as incidents arise to make Alkia question her own blind faith. Neebo comes across as both quite secular as he makes reasoned assertions based on observed evidence in his world but also sees beauty in in sights that we might find horrible, making him something of a philosopher as well as a realist. Alkia by contrasts is devout but we can see how this allows her to navigate this dangerous setting joyfully. However, events will cause even her to question her views and the religious leader of her tribe when the tribe has to make a pilgrimage to satisfy their god.

Blake’s characterizations are good and the characters feel genuine, each member of the tribe feels like their own person and I like this post apocalyptic world he has developed for them to live in. There are times however when the writer makes some abrupt jumps in narrative which had me rereading pages. This could be a failure in communication between himself and the artist but I don’t think so. He also sets up a substance called the Essense without clearly explaining what it is only that it can be made into a potent currative. I don’t mind building a story or a slow burn per say but this felt like a clear oversight in terms of giving us information about the world.

ART

For the most part Sassman and Ansori compliment each other quite well. The lines and colors have a nice gritty feel that add to this story of survival and the palette of largely earth tones is very suitable. Batsman’s layouts for most pages are strong and the page flow is good. This is not always the case and like the narrative there can be jarring jumps that have me repeatedly looking over the page to discover what I’ve missed.

He does and excellent job of giving every character their own distinctive look and is notable for not making his characters look like clones of one another with different hair styles. Also the design of the characters is appealing with references to Paleolithic tribes of North and South America. However, his art skills are not exceptional as I noted a number of instances where anatomical proportions and faces were off. I think he could benefit by teaming with a skilled inker to fix his mistakes while he grows as an artist.

Ansor’s colors for the most part are also strong adding texture and detail to most of the panels. There are instances though, when the images become muddied and a bit confused. This is very evident if you can compare the colored pages to some of the B&W art.

LETTERING

Marco does an excellent job conveying information and dialogue without obscuring the art. The choice of font is nice, crisp and legible with bold used to add emphasis on stressed words as needed. The balloons were always easy to follow and their was never any confusion as to who was talking.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This book feels Indy, it lacks the polish of the major players but its full of evident heart and passion with lots of room for growth by all parties involved. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into this world and will definitely be looking forward to future issues.

4 out of 5

ARTIST: Chris Sassman

WRITER: Blake McCarthy

COLORIST: Ichsan Ansori

LETTERER: Marco Della Verde

Check out the awesome interview with Blake McCarthy on Outside the Panels with host Johnny “The Machine” Hughes

Interested in TerriTory, check out the Kickstarter here.