On December 12, comiXology Originals announced “In the Flood,” a new OGN by Ray Fawkes (“Intersect,” “One Soul”), which came out less than a week later on December 18th. Fawkes is one of the most unique and inspiring cartoonists working today, and so we were thrilled when comiXology asked us if we would like to debut an essay written by Fawkes about some of the influences for “In the Flood.” Make sure to pick the book up from comiXology – perhaps as a last minute digital stocking stuff – and thanks to all involved for the essay!
Written and illustrated by Ray Fawkes
Colored by Lee Loughridge
Lettered and designed by Thomas MauerTrapped and separated by an apocalyptic rainfall, Mike and Clara, devoted husband and wife, have sworn to find their way back to one another. But they quickly discover that the rain – and their predicament – is not what it seems. Can they figure out the grand trick that’s being played on them and overcome it to reunite? IN THE FLOOD is the disturbing, surreal new graphic novel by acclaimed, groundbreaking creator Ray Fawkes, author of ONE SOUL, INTERSECT, GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT and more.
“With In The Flood, Ray Fawkes continues to experiment with comics as a language, much as he did with the brilliant One Soul. But now he adds layers of mystery and almost Lynchian genre exploration to tell a story of lost love and desperate people clinging to hope in the face growing darkness. Brilliant, challenging and beautiful.” –Jeff Lemire (The Question, Underwater Welder)
“What a great book. Ray is always one to watch and the art here is brought to new vibrant life with Loughridge’s colouring . . . highly recommended.” –Jock (Batman, The Losers)
“As compelling and disturbing as watching the water level inch up your body. There’s nothing you can do to resist.” –Kieron Gillen (The Wicked & The Divine)
“We often hear of creators elevating the comics medium, Fawkes seems to have forgotten to ever come down. In The Flood is at once sentimental and unsettling, the kind of story that demands attention even after its final panel.” –Michael Conrad (Tremor Dose)
“A beautiful, poetic and intricate puzzle-box of a story, and one I’ll be unlocking for some time to come.” –Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk)
Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. This title is available as part of comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading at release.
“In The Flood” is a book about a grand trick – one both played by and being played on protagonists… for the entertainment of the reader. There is more than one way to read the story, and the outcome depends on how you shuffle it, so to speak. But I better not say too much before I give anything away. Instead: here’s a list of 5 of my favourite cinematic tricks.
Twin Peaks: The Return (May – September 2017)
“What year is this”?
I’m a confirmed Twin Peaks fanatic – have been ever since the first episodes aired in 1991 – and I have always loved the way the settings in the story affect one another, infusing an atmosphere of strangeness and dread into the most seemingly ordinary circumstances.
David Lynch is and always has been one of my artistic heroes. Not just for his vision, but also for his ability to realize it with such technical skill and fearlessness. Viewers who watched Twin Peaks: The Return were treated to an incredible, unfiltered experience, and the power and mystery of the finale is something I will never forget.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
“Had a little shoot-out.”
One of the greatest books I ever read was translated by the Coen Brothers into one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen. In a story full of powerful moments, one of the most outstanding ones involves a confrontation you don’t see, and in both media the audacity of staging it that way blew my mind. When I’m writing a book I always think carefully about what should and should not be shown – and what should and should not be said. This film is one that makes those choices so perfectly it’s always on my mind.
Continued belowHereditary (2018)
“She isn’t gone.”
A lot of horror movies try to walk a fine line between questioning the protagonists’ sanity and presenting apparently clear supernatural events. A lot of them fail. Hereditary is one of the only ones I’ve seen that pulls you back and forth over that line with such skill that it’s almost a relief when you finally learn the truth… though that relief quickly gives way to one of the most relentless scenes of emotion and horror I’ve ever seen on screen. It’s the most recent influence on my list, but I already know it’ll always stick with me.
Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
“Home? This is your home.”
If you’ve seen Jacob’s Ladder, the line I quote above is one of the film’s greatest punches in the gut – and I marvel at it. Part of the fun of this classic is trying to work it out as you watch it – and I recall that this was the line delivered precisely at the moment that my queasy suspicions solidified into the answer to the puzzle. I loved it.
This is a predecessor to Hereditary, in my mind – there is a similar push and pull encouraged between belief and skepticism, but it plays the trick out in a very different way, leading to a very different outcome. What’s amazing to me is that both films have an unforgettably forceful emotional payoff, but the emotions on display are almost mirror opposites. Can you play a similar trick and have two outcomes so different?
Thinking about both these films led me to my next question: I believe there’s a way in comics to play the same trick and have both those outcomes. Could I do it?
The Prestige (2006)
“This is a complex illusion.”
The greatest film about a magic trick and how it’s played, The Prestige may have sparked debates about how much it “cheats” to land its big trick, but the experience of watching it is undeniably fascinating and fun. I couldn’t create a book about a trick and fail to tip my hat to this one.
Much like No Country for Old Men, one of the things that always sticks with me about The Prestige is what they choose to show and what they choose to keep back, and when they choose to do each. Nothing makes me happier than a book or a film that demands careful attention. This is without a doubt one of my favourites.
