Publication Date: 2010-06-16
Format: Trade Paperback, Full Color, 6.5 x 10, Soft Cover, 124 pages
Price: $13.00
Diamond Code: MAR101130
ISBN: 9780980930269
Story: “Box 13”
Writer: David Gallaher
Artist: Steve Ellis
From Harvey Award and Zuda-winning creators of HIGH MOON.
Investigative author Dan Holiday has spent the last several years of his life researching the secrets behind the MKULTRA project. His latest book has brought him a degree of notoriety around the country and around the world. And, during his recent book tour – Dan discovers something that will change his life forever. Join him as he learns what lurks inside Box 13.
The folks over at Red 5 Comics were gracious enough to provide a copy of their new title Box 13, an espionage thriller in the vein of The Bourne Identity or The Manchurian Candidate. Our hero Daniel Holiday is an author who has dedicated his life to studying spy techniques in fiction and non-fiction alike, becoming what seems like an expert on the subject; or at least one of them. He’s obsessed with the MKULTRA Project, but that leads him down a rabbit hole from which he may not get out…
For starters, I absolutely adored the art. Steve Ellis, the artist, really made this book look incredible, with muted colors, and the occasional red in the panels. It was reminiscent of the Sin City books from Dark Horse, but with a much less grim and dark tone. There were more shades of gray, peppered throughout the pages which helped the very ambiguous tone of the book. The characters designs were also quite gorgeous, with a more stylized look, almost mixing Rob Guillory’s style from Chew with Oeming’s style from Powers. The two combined to form an oddly unique style which really helped engage me into the story. It wasn’t overly realistic or cartoonish, but a nice middle ground. It’s refreshing.
The writing, penned by High Moon scribe David Gallaher was engaging as well, but the art really helped immerse me into the story. I thought the protagonist Daniel went from Richard Castle to Jason Bourne a little too quickly for my tastes, and there wasn’t enough of him to help me connect with him, or at least, as much as I would have liked. Also, the first 20 pages or so seemed to drag just a bit, but when it kicked into high gear, it REALLY picked up and I couldn’t put it down. The ending was another weak point, as it ended a little conveniently, almost making the previous pages seem redundant. For the sake of spoilers I’ll refrain from telling you what exactly happens. There does happen to be a pretty good cliffhanger, setting it up for a sequel (Box 14? Box 26?). My issues with the ending aside, it left me wanting more, which is the mark of a good story.
Finally, the book is a really good read. I have honestly not read anything by Gallaher before, but I’ll be fixing that soon. Ellis‘ work in here is probably one of my favorite indie works this year, and I think it’ll be hard to beat. I highly recommend picking this up, either on Comixology or in stores on the 16th of this month, check it out!
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
