Antony Johnston & Chris Mitten apply their unique talents to a new genre in comics and the results are just as exciting as they were on “Wasteland”, while being completely different.
Written by Antony Johnston
Illustrated by Christopher Mitten
Colors by John Rauch
Lettered by Thomas MauerThe Umbral are invading, and only Rascal knows it! But in this world, where magic and religion are outlawed, does anyone believe her? Creators of the sci-fi epic WASTELAND, Antony Johnston (DAREDEVIL, DEAD SPACE) and Christopher Mitten (BATMAN, CRIMINAL MACABRE) now bring you a fantasy world like no other!
“Umbral” #2 opens with our heroine Rascal fleeing from the titular Umbral – a mysterious and terrifying species of antagonists whose true nature has not been fully revealed to us. We know that they’re some sort of shadow creatures and have only recently taken human form, but other than that, they’re elusive to us as readers. In truth, “Umbral’s” best moments as a comic book happen because of what isn’t revealed to us. Johnston and Mitten are clearly doing a massive amount of world-building here, but it is only revealed to us as necessary for the plotting. There’s no info-dump. There’s little exposition. All of that is replaced by propulsive plotting and character-work. The details are being filled in as we go, and that makes us want to keep discovering the world.
The more intriguing elements of “Umbral” play around with fantasy conventions and settings. Rascal makes an offhanded comment about how magic and religion are both illegal in the organized society of the comic. We are given nothing more than that, but we begin to imagine the type of society in which this is the case. It re-informs us about things we saw in the series’ first issue and I’m sure these facts will play a role down the road. Furthermore, as Rascal and Dalone flee from the Umbral, we see more of the world’s infrastructure. They leap over crumbled walls and run through overcrowded shanties, finally making their way into “The Buckets” (something that looks like a massive water delivery system) on the edge of town. “Umbral” is very much a fantasy book, but the class divide appears to be apparent in the background of everything that’s going on. These dilapidated settings tell us more about the world than we realize.
Much of issue #2 deals with Rascal running away. She runs away from the Umbral and she runs away from everyone she knows. All she has right now is her new ally, Dalone, a man she is reluctant to trust. We know he’s a good egg though – at least at this point. We can already see Johnston forming a humorous “buddy cop” report between the unlikely pairing. That’s the other great thing about “Umbral” – it’s a very witty book. Johnston cuts the ever-present danger with levity and, like “Rat Queens” (another very good fantasy comic from Image) uses a more modern vernacular and slang for conversation. This comic goes down really smoothly.
Chris Mitten and John Rauch realization of the world of “Umbral” is star-making type stuff. Mitten is, to my untrained eye, ostensibly using the style that he developed over the course of his work on “Wasteland”, but it takes on a different form with Rauch’s colors applied. This works to convey the dilapidation of things like the slums and the broken down shipyard – visual traits that would have fit in perfectly on “Wasteland” – but fill them out in a colorful and fantastical way that a black and white book might not quite attain. Rauch uses a muted, but varied color palette to accomplish this look and feel.
Mitten’s line is as mysterious as the world is. Fitting, I suppose. If you isolate some of the linework in “Umbral”, it seems like magic. Craggy, impossible lines come together to make identifiable shapes and expressions. Mitten clearly has a one-of-a-kind eye for structure, as his approach is anything but traditional, but works to great a fluid vibrant comic.
“Umbral” is yet another Image Comics series that is not only perfect for fans of its genre, but actually transcends the genre to become something more. It’s a book that looks unlike any other thanks to the wholly original penciling and the witty, subtle touch of Johnston’s script. “Umbral” is a must-buy for fans of sprawling, unfolding fantasy and strong character work. Above all else, it’s yet another strong creator-owned comic that does things that few other publishers would attempt.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Strong buy
