This series from AfterShock starts with a spate of random killings committed by random people conducted by the spectre of the gun. True enough, the topic of gun crime raises its barrel as does a myriad of opinions delivered in the oft used pseudo Twitter styles commentary. This devolves into the introduction of the main cast, Agent Shaw who seems to be suffering some sort of nightmare driven by what we don’t yet know and her partner Agent McGregor and their respective colleagues. As the issue progresses we get to see the pair work through a case, eventually drawn to another crime scene which seems to have had a strange effect on a squad of SWAT cops and mysteriously caused their colleagues disappearance.
I am a Garth Ennis fan, going back a fair few years, covering a range of books from horror, to clever horror and violence. Granted the recent shootings in the USA may have had an impact on the opinions on show; Ennis seems to be trying to show every angle of the argument that has split opinions across the States. Still, whilst some may feel that the creator of books like Jennifer Blood shouldn’t be preaching about gun law, I think that if real topics are going to make their way into comic books, at least we should have a balanced argument. Story wise, Ennis takes a pedestrian approach to pacing, taking the time to show Shaw at her weakest, before showing us the normal run of the mill day, that appears to be going hell in a hen basket. Shaw’s nightmares are a mystery as is the cause of the action of others in the book, given that there seems to be some sort of recognition of what has been seen and what must done to save souls, all of which goes into the narrative delivering an ominous sense of dread!
The art is provided by Goran Sudzuka whose work has been seen in Y: The Last Man, Hellblazer with some time on both Batman Eternals run.  As I have the Batman Eternal runs, I can’t place the art style on show.  That is probably more to do me than Sudauka’s work as in this book, it fits the tone brilliantly. With the mature story elements on show, there is a need for the art to be equally so in order to complement the horror vibe. Sudzuka manages this early on, with the nightmare scene, the disjointedness of the victim of the only crime we do see and of course the desperation on show later. Straight lines and a range of facial types give this book a real world vibe that makes the pre-horror even more daunting. Ive Svorcina gives the book a washed out color scheme, indicating a world very much lived in.
The topics covered and the pace of the story may seem unattractive to some, though with Garth Ennis at the helm, readers have got a quality comic book writer who deserves the benefit of the doubt as he entrances you with ideas and thoughts to ponder.
A Walk Through Hell hits the racks on May 16th
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Garth Ennis
Art by; Goran Sudzuka
Colors by; Ive Svorcina
Published by; AfterShock Comics
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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