Area 10
Written by Christos N. Gage
Art by Chris Samnee
Published by Vertigo Comics. $19.99 USD

It’s hard to figure out the publishing strategy for this Vertigo Crime imprint, but the common elements seem to be to avoid straight crime fiction and instead introduce a fantastic element. I kind of like the smaller-than-comics size, though.

Gage is a prolific comics writer, and it seems that if one follows Wildstorm or Marvel’s event tie-in books at all, you’ve read something he’s written. That said, I haven’t read enough to have formed an impression of just what he’s about, especially as a lot of those Marvel books are in large part servicing a plot thread generated by another writer.

Chris Samnee is an artist with whom I’m slightly more familiar. I believe I first noticed his work on the Capote in Kansas graphic novel. His work is a bit stolid but overall clean and effective. I particularly like this raft of FCBD sketches which may give a clue to why he got this gig: he’s fast. There aren’t a ton of artists willing to pencil and ink a 180 page graphic novel, I’m guessing. 

As mentioned, the story itself has a kind of fantastic or supernatural element to it, involving trepanation (drilling a hole in the forehead to get air to the brain and give the person a third eye—the ability to see into the past or possible futures. It’s a fresh idea that would be treated with derision by TV detectives but here is allowed to flower in the unlimited budget of the comics page. Even so, it’s mainly used for extra flavor for the story and to open up the story for an offbeat climax. Mostly, this is a fairly straightforward mystery in the police prodedural aspects and the lead character, a good detective with some painful event in his past and a demanding case that becomes personal. 

Gage makes good use of the lengthier format to cover the ground of a movie, teasing out revelations, building up a romance out of a professional relationship so it’s not ridiculous or wildly inappropriate, and offering the reader their money’s worth in plot twists. Sure, you know going in it’s probably going in that things will probably end with a desperate fight with a crazed killer, and you see some of the other developments coming ahead of time, but there are a few “okay, nice, you got me” twists in there as well. And for his part, Samnee isn’t a mind-blower but is consistently good throughout, which is saying something across 180 pages. He spots blacks well, if occasionally overdoing it somewhat, and his environments feel solid and real. He does very well with the grislier moments but acquits himself admirably on the lighter, more romance-oriented scenes, too. 

Despite a terrific cover, the lack of big names might make this one a bit of a sleeper, but it ends up a pretty good yarn.

— Christopher Allen