Review: SUICIDERS #1

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SUICIDERS #1
Written by Lee Bermejo
Art by Lee Bermejo and Matt Hollingsworth
Published by DC Comics/Vertigo
Release Date: February 25, 2015

Acclaimed and self-taught artist, Lee Bermejo dives once again into the foray of comic book writing and art duties with his brand new series called Suiciders from Vertigo Comics. The last time Bermejo auteured for a sequential art project on both sides of the creative process was for the gritty, graphic novel entitled Batman: Noel. His realistic portrayals and glossy finish for his art resonated with readers as a reimagined version of A Christmas Carol.

This time, Bermejo leaves the realm of household intellectual properties and blazes his own trail with a series that centers on a dystopian future where enhanced gladiators called Suiciders fight to the death as entertainment for the masses while a civil war brews over the horizon.

While on the surface it seems like Bermejo is crafting a simplistic premise of future warriors fighting for the approval of the ignorant, hate-mongering audiences while dodging fanciful death machines in an attempt to win glory or freedom, in fact the writer/artist has managed to craft many other subtle layers beneath it to bring it depth. The city of Los Angeles has been divided by an earthquake into two: the prosperous city called New Angeles and the desolated version called Lost Angeles.

This issue begins by introducing us to the top Suicider of New Angeles, The Saint –a virtuous killer that takes pleasure in slaying the challengers from Lost Angeles. We also get to meet an assertive journalist named Sheila Sutter determined to shed light on The Saint’s unknown past, and a mysterious man that escorts people over the wall and into New Angeles. Each of these featured characters offer a very unique perspective on the world that Bermejo introduces us to and leaves much on the proverbial table for readers to chew on.

This debut issue is filled with splash pages of visceral imagery and pages of imposing panels. These moments tend to directly stand out amongst the natural flow of the story being told, but it’s intentionally done so in order to seize you into acknowledging that this is the world that these characters live in. There is a poetic rhythm in reading Suiciders that occassionally grabs you by the arm and makes you take notice.

At the same time, Bermejo is also able to exercise a strong display of writing as he crafts brooding dialogue that’s coupled with a charming authenticity and ability to seemlessly carry the momentum of one scene into another. Colorist Matt Hollingsworth is able to effectively bring realism into the pencils. The palette of grays and blues that populate the pages of this comic book readily personify the gloom and cloud that hangs over them giving it a darker feeling as you read it.

What Bermejo does best in Suiciders is that he’s able to give us enough character interest, stylized brutality, and visual detail to entice our curiosity and keep me wanting more. Suiciders has the foundation to emerge as another great title from Vertigo. Fans of post-apocalypse stories and glorified combat will be welcome at the door, but I’ll be staying for the socio-economic commentary and postmodernism allegory that is sure to come.

The Verdict: 8.5/10

 

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