What is it about the end of the world that continues to fascinate us so? “Sheltered” manages to find new corners and possibilities to explore, even while feeling a little familiar at times.
Written by Ed Brisson
Illustrated by Johnnie ChristmasA PRE-APOCALYPTIC TALE OF SURVIVAL AT ANY COST.The men and women of Safe Haven have been preparing for any-and-all end of world scenarios for years. However, their bunkers, weapons and training can’t save them from the one threat they never could have expected: Their own children.
“Sheltered” presents its readers with the type of scenario that has been pervading pop culture more and more in recent years. Whether it be due to our economy, government, educational system, healthcare, what have you, everybody seems to be shaping their own vision of what the end of the world is going to look like. “The Walking Dead” is such a cultural touchstone that it is damn near impossible for comic books to get out of its creator-owned shadow – even if they have nothing to do with zombies. It is with Robert Kirkman’s masterwork that we’ve experienced humanities ultimate struggle to scratch and claw and keep themselves from extinction. His is a world where the characters live every day as if it could be their last. We’re not yet entirely sure what everyone in “Sheltered” is worried about just yet, but it feels like a world on the brink of whatever happened in “The Walking Dead.” There’s a lot that’s familiar about this issue, for most of the way through anyway. Don’t worry though – no zombies. By the end, “Sheltered” sets itself apart from the many other comics about survival and desperation in a collapsing ecosystem in a couple of very startling ways.
We meet many characters throughout the first issue, though none could definitively be called our protagonist. They go about their daily lives and the humdrum of packing and prepping for the oncoming end times. There’s a familiarity as the parents do most of the work and the children treat the preparations like a chore. The relatable sense of daily life makes the road that lies ahead for our characters that much more dire. The cast shows off a variety of philosophies in the front half of the issue, making all the more effective the idea that they must come together if they hope to survive what’s coming. This is an ensemble tale, again, much like “The Walking Dead”, where not everyone is going to see eye-to-eye, but there’s a logical reason for throwing these people together. You could guess at who might become that central figure, but Brisson prefers to let the twist of the conflict take center stage in this first issue. A smart choice, as it’s instantly compelling and creates more than enough draw to have you coming back. When Brisson pulls the trigger, it’s done with expert timing and a flair for the dramatic. It’s just a shame that the solicitation for this series couldn’t have gone the entirely non-desciptive “Morning Glories” route.
Also possessing a flair for the dramatic, in a visual sense, is artist Johnnie Christmas. He, along with colorist Shari Chankhamma, set the scene as a dreary, grey, wintery hideaway. Like “Revival” before it, “Sheltered” captures the inherent feel of life in a cold, barren rural area. It is the characters that add the color (in a non-literal sense), as each design is imbued with personality and unique flair in their costuming. Everything befits the setting, but each is unique. Though the setting is intentionally spare, and effectively so, the characters have enough detail to flesh them out beyond the script.
Christmas definitely has a stylized approach to his characters and often drops out detail for effect, but possesses a decent enough sense for how much to show and when. When artists do this, it’s usually to enhance the sense that we’re seeing things from a distance where we cannot make out the details. It is debatable as to whether this works in every case throughout “Sheltered” #1, but overall this is strong work. In this way, the storytelling is free-flowing and unbridled, but with subtly good linework most of the time.
“Sheltered” #1 begins to prove its true worth when it tears away from the obvious comparisons and the starting-point premise that has been well-tread in modern science fiction and horror. Ed Brisson brings his particular talents for crafting characters that are unique and immediately identifiable, while Johnnie Christmas is a young talent that shows plenty of good storytelling sense here. While both the story and the art are a little raw, it happens to serve the story well a decent amount of the time. And by the time things are over at the issue’s gripping conclusion, you have a book that you’ll want to return to again next month.
Final Verdict: 7.6 – Buy, for an honest try.
