As writer Chris Dingess notes in the afterword, this book is weird. It’s hella weird – although I don’t think you’d expect anything less from a story about Lewis and Clark tracking down monsters. But it’s interesting-weird, and a cracking good story at that, making this new ongoing from Skybound an exciting prospect.
Written by Chris Dingess
Illustrated by Matthew RobertsIn 1804, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark set out on an expedition to explore the uncharted American frontier. This is the story of what they discovered lurking in the wilds…
Skybound’s newest original series unveils the monsters of the western frontier in the adventure of a lifetime by writer CHRIS DINGESS (Being Human) and up-and-coming artist MATTHEW ROBERTS.
Lewis and Clark are heading West with a troop of Army volunteers – and even if you’re not American, it’s a story you’ve heard before. That is, until it becomes clear that Lewis and Clark are going after monsters. Guess they left that part out of the history books.
The most intriguing aspect of this book is the way it casts Lewis and Clark as our heroes, then gives us permission to be critical of them right away. Their disdain for the “savages”, and the fact that they brought a slave, York, are two historical realities of their situation that come across quickly; and even beyond these big factors, Lewis and Clark have a certain amount of smarm and cockiness about them. They definitely aren’t afraid to shoot first and ask questions later, a tendency that has already gotten them into trouble by the end of the issue.
Speaking of shooting first, the pacing is nicely handled here, with a neat bit of foreshadowing punctuating the slow-moving first half of the issue. We’re led gradually into the mystery of the situation, and along the way, the convicts that have been recruited alongside the soldiers offer a counterpoint to the perspectives of our two explorers. Our main representative of this group, Jensen, does his own bit in moving the plot forward, giving us a good shock along the way.
By the end of the issue we’ve seen the monsters but not the humans that populate the area, and thematically speaking, it’s going to be interesting – not to mention integral to the success of the series – to see how Dingess handles the role of the natives. In a way, there’s more suspense building up behind this kind of encounter than anything monster-related, and it’s hard not to try and anticipate what part a Sacagawea figure would play in all this.
Matthew Roberts’ art is gorgeous, particularly striking in the way that it captures the landscape. Details like the plumage of a heron come across with the air of a scientific illustration, every detail carefully worked in, while the wide horizons – the immensity of it all – come across with a nice feel for scale.
The characters, while less naturalistic, have a good deal of nuance about them; part of the reason the smarmy-heroic balance of Lewis and Clark works so well is the way Roberts layers their expressions. We can get into the ideals that Lewis and Clark personify while still despising them because their humanity is apparent; it’s all about those little shades of doubt that cross their faces every now and then. Meanwhile, Jensen veers a bit further into caricature territory without losing any of his appeal as a wildcard, and the other ex-cons interest in their own tragic right as we learn about their histories.
Speaking of history, the research here is solid, with the wide variety of costumes and weapons coming across confidently. As for the non-historical (as by that I mean monster-involving) elements here – well, I wouldn’t want to give too much away, but Roberts does a fine job of showing us as little as possible during a climactic struggle, framing the key element with disorienting camera angles that stress the urgency of the situation.
Finally, I’ve been a fan of Owen Gieni’s colours since “Debris”, and the vibrancy and smoothness of his work here is no surprise. Sometimes forest landscapes can come across a bit monotonous in their greens and browns, but in this case the limited palette seems to heighten the sense of dread and anticipation.
All told, this is a beautifully-paced first issue that broaches all kind of themes and establishes a compelling underlying tension. On paper, it’s the kind of plot that sounds horribly difficult to pull off; but Dingess and Roberts have done a terrific job here, establishing the ugly side as well as the wonder of this expedition to the West. “Manifest Destiny” is looking to be one revelatory journey.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy
