Comic Review: North 40 #1
North 40 #1
Writer: Aaron Williams
Artist: Fiona Staples
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Scott Peterson
Published by: Wildstorm/DC
Somewhere in Midwestern America was a place called Conover County. When the old book was opened, and the runes therein used in haste and ignorance, a place of farms, simple folk, and small-town dreams became a den of monsters and nightmare. NORTH 40 is the story of those who survived and came to confront an even greater evil on the horizon – one that wouldn't just consume their flesh, but their souls as well. Heroes arise with power to bring against the dark: Wyatt, an unwilling protector of his former tormentors; Amanda, an apprentice to forgotten arts; and Sheriff Morgan, whose bonds with Conover County go back farther than even he can remember.
Plot
Conover County is a quiet county in the Midwest where the most excitement comes from scanning the CB-Radio or watching the local drunk get arrested...again. That is until Dyan and Robert get ahold of an esoteric tome of eldritch knowledge. Coming under the power of the book, Dyan and Robert inadvertently release an unknown horror upon the county.
Soon, the entire county has passed out.
The next day, the confused citizens of Conover County awaken to a bizarre world of monsters and terror. It's still Conover County, but it will never be the same. Some citizens have been turned into monsters. One has grown monstrous teeth and bitten another person's head off. One sees the world through the eyes of a flock of crows...until the flock reaches the outskirts of the county. Another wakes to find he has several extra eyes on his forehead. Wyatt foretunately finds himself impervious to harm. Brad's girlfriend Jenny fell into the river when she passed out, but to Brad's horror, that hasn't stopped her from loving him.
Will Sheriff Morgan be able to figure out what's going on before the citizens he swore to protect kill each other?
And to what voice is Amanda Walker listening and what are its intentions?
Aaron Williams's story is a creepy, Lovecraftian tale of ancient evil being loosed upon an unknowing population. Now we just sit back and see who survives...
Plot Rating:
2 Worms. Williams wasted no time getting the story started. More comics should start this way.
Characters
Sheriff Morgan
Wyatt
Robert
Dyan
Dave
Amanda Walker
Citizens of Conover County
The characters of North 40 are normal people...or were normal people before the event. That's an endearing part of this book. We're not looking at peculiar characters, but realistic ones. Most likely they will remind you of someone you know.
Sheriff Morgan will be the cool head trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. Robert and Dyan are the outsiders who know more about what's going on than anyone will be comfortable with. Wyatt is going to help Morgan, while Dave, being the local drunk regularly arrested for public intoxication and disruption, will be a hindrance. And Amanda, the mixed outsider who's known nothing but prejudice, will be the vanguard of the evil forces at play. We know them and that familiarity thrown into an alien world drives our interest.
Character Rating:
1 Worm
Art
The most important thing about art in a book like North 40 is how creepy do the things appear which are supposed to be creepy. Fiona Staples can bring the creepy. The tentacles entwining behind the panels on pages two and three as the Old God (there, I said it) exerted its influence over the town and again on page five, larger, more powerful, as its influence grows. Dead girlfriend Jenny is superbly shudder provoking. Amanda, standing in the center of a circle she created with the scythe she was lead to so that she could come "face to face" with the voice guiding her, with sigils and symbols glowing in the background effectively carries the sense of arcane mysticism needed. Staples effectively conveys the bizarre events in Conover County, and I look forward to more.
Art Rating: 2 Worms
Overall Rating:
5 Worms. Wonderful start up! Strongly recommended for fans of Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos, and horror comics.
Writer: Aaron Williams
Artist: Fiona Staples
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Scott Peterson
Published by: Wildstorm/DC
Somewhere in Midwestern America was a place called Conover County. When the old book was opened, and the runes therein used in haste and ignorance, a place of farms, simple folk, and small-town dreams became a den of monsters and nightmare. NORTH 40 is the story of those who survived and came to confront an even greater evil on the horizon – one that wouldn't just consume their flesh, but their souls as well. Heroes arise with power to bring against the dark: Wyatt, an unwilling protector of his former tormentors; Amanda, an apprentice to forgotten arts; and Sheriff Morgan, whose bonds with Conover County go back farther than even he can remember.
Plot
Conover County is a quiet county in the Midwest where the most excitement comes from scanning the CB-Radio or watching the local drunk get arrested...again. That is until Dyan and Robert get ahold of an esoteric tome of eldritch knowledge. Coming under the power of the book, Dyan and Robert inadvertently release an unknown horror upon the county.
Soon, the entire county has passed out.
The next day, the confused citizens of Conover County awaken to a bizarre world of monsters and terror. It's still Conover County, but it will never be the same. Some citizens have been turned into monsters. One has grown monstrous teeth and bitten another person's head off. One sees the world through the eyes of a flock of crows...until the flock reaches the outskirts of the county. Another wakes to find he has several extra eyes on his forehead. Wyatt foretunately finds himself impervious to harm. Brad's girlfriend Jenny fell into the river when she passed out, but to Brad's horror, that hasn't stopped her from loving him.
Will Sheriff Morgan be able to figure out what's going on before the citizens he swore to protect kill each other?
And to what voice is Amanda Walker listening and what are its intentions?
Aaron Williams's story is a creepy, Lovecraftian tale of ancient evil being loosed upon an unknowing population. Now we just sit back and see who survives...
Plot Rating:
2 Worms. Williams wasted no time getting the story started. More comics should start this way.Characters
Sheriff Morgan
Wyatt
Robert
Dyan
Dave
Amanda Walker
Citizens of Conover County
The characters of North 40 are normal people...or were normal people before the event. That's an endearing part of this book. We're not looking at peculiar characters, but realistic ones. Most likely they will remind you of someone you know.
Sheriff Morgan will be the cool head trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. Robert and Dyan are the outsiders who know more about what's going on than anyone will be comfortable with. Wyatt is going to help Morgan, while Dave, being the local drunk regularly arrested for public intoxication and disruption, will be a hindrance. And Amanda, the mixed outsider who's known nothing but prejudice, will be the vanguard of the evil forces at play. We know them and that familiarity thrown into an alien world drives our interest.
Character Rating:
1 WormArt
The most important thing about art in a book like North 40 is how creepy do the things appear which are supposed to be creepy. Fiona Staples can bring the creepy. The tentacles entwining behind the panels on pages two and three as the Old God (there, I said it) exerted its influence over the town and again on page five, larger, more powerful, as its influence grows. Dead girlfriend Jenny is superbly shudder provoking. Amanda, standing in the center of a circle she created with the scythe she was lead to so that she could come "face to face" with the voice guiding her, with sigils and symbols glowing in the background effectively carries the sense of arcane mysticism needed. Staples effectively conveys the bizarre events in Conover County, and I look forward to more.
Art Rating:
2 WormsOverall Rating:
5 Worms. Wonderful start up! Strongly recommended for fans of Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos, and horror comics.
posted by Bodog at 9:02 AM
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