Comic Review: Manticore #1

A manticore is a beast that has the face of a man, the body of a lion and the stinger of a scorpion. In addition some are depicted as having poisoned teeth that can be fired like arrows or the wings of a bat. One thing that is universally agreed upon is that the manticore is a a vicious animal that is not to be tangled with. Manticore is also a new comic written by Keith Miller and illustrated by Ian Gabriel. Despite being named after a mythical creature Manticore is not a comic about superheroes taking on mythological beast. It's not a story about superheroes at all. It's a story that takes place in a prison and wastes no time showing us that there are no good people in this story. The prison staff is abusive and tests experimental medicines on the inmates. The prisoners are white supremacist, leaders of criminal organizations and even child molesters. There is nobody to feel sorry for in this story with no connections and that's why it shines.

The story follows Simon a meek and nervous man that is afraid of almost everything. He's a white color criminal placed in the same cell block as murderers and child molesters. All of the inmates are forced to take medication with their meals that forces them to have nightmares when they go to sleep. Late at night a prisoner is brought in masked and protected by military guards before the others go to sleep. That night one of the prisoners is murdered by the manticore. Simon is still awake because he didn't take the medication and the manticore asks him "can you keep a secret," in the most threatening way possible.

The art style in Manticore is really interesting. Other than the cover everything is in black and white. There are no shades of gray, instead different styles of hatching are used to depict shade. It's a really interesting choice but it does serve it's purpose. The choice to draw everything in black and white also provides a few other benefits. One of the most obvious is the facial expression of characters. With a lack of color it's as if our eyes are directly drawn to the character faces. That's important because there is a ton of detail in the character faces. Even in minor scenes where they are just watching TV together. This makes conveying emotion a lot easier. It's obvious which characters are scared and which are intimidating. This obvious emotion in the art helps to make sure pages don't become over crowded with words of characters trying to put their emotions into words. Instead the wording is left brief, crisp and to the point. Words aren't used to tell the entire story, instead we see the story in the art while words are used to reaffirm the decision that our minds have already jumped to or provide an alternative we had not considered before hand. The images and text work well together to weave a thriller.

Manticore works well on a few different planes. In a world overpopulated with jump scares and gimmicky works to scare people Manticore stands out. It slowly builds anticipation, you understand that something is going to happen but you're strung along so gently that you begin to believe nothing will ever happen. Once it finally happens you're left in shock and wondering what just happened. All the while, you want more. Manticore gives you just enough to hook you and reel you in slowly before dragging you in the boat. Before you realize it you have already been captured by it. We live in a world where instant gratification is something we can receive in every genre. Comic books love to just throw you into the action within the first few pages. Manticore forces you to wait before it delivers. However, once it delivers, you'll just want more.

Manticore is available through Rasarium Publishing

You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet
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