The Violent 01 Reviews 

Pick of the Week: A Little Bit of “The Violent” #1 [Review]

By | December 10th, 2015
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Being inside prison is the easy part. Getting back to normal on the outside is where the real sentence begins…

Written by Ed Brisson
Illustrated by Adam Gorham

From ED BRISSON (SHELTERED) and ADAM GORHAM (Dead Drop) comes an all-new, ongoing series. Meet Mason, an ex-con and former drug addict who’s trying hard to give up his old life. He’s got more important things to live for now: a wife struggling to contain her own addiction and a young daughter who needs them both. When threatened with losing his daughter, Mason falls into old habits, stumbling through a string of desperate criminal acts whose repercussions quickly become deadly serious.

When I think of crime stories, I can say honestly I do not think of Canada. North America’s neighbor was not too far from my family in Detroit, where I think of real crime. But as far as I can remember, Canada has had a natural disposition for being friendly. That’s not to say there isn’t a seedy underbelly, which we all know there is. I am being up front with this bias because it threw me for a loop when I got to reading “The Violent.”

Mason is a recently released convict looking for a fresh start. He has a wife and a young daughter that love him and want him to do well in the world. For Mason though, old habits and old friends die very hard. Before long, he is sucked back into the life he is trying to leave behind. To make matters worse Mason’s wife Becky, is on the verge of picking up her old habits too. While things do not appear to be getting better, leave it to Mason to screw things up even more when helping a “friend.”

Ed Brisson doesn’t pull any punches with the story of “The Violent.” The biting commentary on the suburban dream is front and center during the early pages. Mason & Becky are struggling to survive with their meager incomes. Becky notes that if they are late on the rent they will be thrown out; adding urgency to the situation at hand. Mason on the other hand, knows full well that crime is the only way to make ends meet. Brisson wants the audience to know that even if you do the right thing, the deck can still be stacked against you. “The Violent” title takes on a new meaning in that context, since society is violent towards addicts and convicts.

I made the preamble about Canada because in America, the penal system is unforgiving to any convicted of a felony. Especially now, with the United States looking to reform some of their draconian prison laws, the book is very timely. With Vancouver being the setting, it adds a little more depth to things. Vancouver is about as close as a major Canadian city is to America in terms of proximity. While doing my own research, I saw how and why Brisson makes the story so bleak. The city is changing rapidly and it is putting longtime residents on the verge of extinction. Thankfully, Brisson is not bitter about this at all, he is simply pointing out what is happening and the impact of it.

Where things become ho-hum for me is the art presentation. Adam Gorham is a new name for me, which gives me a flat gauge to critique his work. I really want to say it is great, but is flatly pedestrian. Most of the story is taking place during the evening, a golden opportunity to show Vancouver’s dark side. Gorham plays it safe, meaning nothing at all stands out in his presentation. His lines are clean, things are rendered nicely and everyone is has personality, his failure isn’t in that area. Normally when I critique, I go back and observe specific moments that I would like to highlight. There were none here, which is surprising considering how much story depth there is. I do not want this to sound like sour grapes, Gorham is perfectly serviceable for this book, which is fine. But given Brisson’s notoriety as of late, you would think the stakes would be raised.

Continued below

In Gorham’s defense, there is a lot of world building in this issue. The reader needs to understand the psychology of Mason and his situation first before diving into more detail. I suppose some of that can be squared at Brisson for not giving Gorham much to work with. With a title of “The Violent”, some are going to expect full on crime violence, for instance like “Dead Body Road.” That is not the story Brisson & Gorham are looking to tell here, so this might come as a major letdown for many readers.

My art criticisms aside, “The Violent” makes a statement on modern capitalist society and runs with it. There are a few instances were Mason talks about why Vancouver is changing with his co-worker Dylan; that sounds like something out of talk radio. The system of wealth is what is keeping Mason & Becky down in the gutter, not their actions. Brisson alludes to Mason being arrested for breaking and entering, but not much in terms of circumstance. The hint is strongly pointed at drug addiction, which would make sense. There is a lot of death with that story, that I hope Brisson & Gorham go into much greater detail going forward.

“The Violent” is not an easy book to read. There are a lot of big ideas floating around, that will make you react positively or negatively. And that is the point, the discussion about why society is so “violent” is the heart and soul of this book. Granted, the book does not make a clear distinction on what is right, but is opening the discussion up. I love books like this, ones that make you think about what is going on and how to fix it. As noted earlier, it is timely considering all that is happening in the Western world right now. While I am curious to see if it goes more “Canadian”, “The Violent” is a very solid entry into the world of crime themed comics.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – Story wise, everything here is on point. Art wise, not so much. Given the huge setup in the issue, this is mildly forgivable. Hopefully it improves and more of Vancouver’s dark nature is shown.


//TAGS | Pick of the Week

Kevin McConnell

Kevin is a student at Fairleigh Dickinson University and a payroll specialist at ADP. When he is not dealing with the problems of others, he enjoys reading comics, craft beer and writing about those two things. He can be found on all forms of social media via http://kevinmmcconnell.flavors.me.

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