Shadow Service vols 1 & 2 Comic-books are a medium, not a genre; they can tell any story and suit any palate. You want horror? I've got bottles of the stuff. Welcome to 'Splashes of Darkness.'  The Pitch: Worried your partner is cheating? Need a missing person found? Gina Meyers is the Private Investigator for you. She’s a witch who worries that her powers make her a monster, worse than the crooks she’s trying to catch, but London’s criminal underworld runs deeper than she ever could have imagined...all the way to Hell. As Meyers tracks her target, she crosses paths with a ghoulish shape-shifter and his partner. They work for a mysterious organisation that packs some serious mojo and – as it turns out – they’re after the same man. Can he really be saved, or has the devil dug his claws in too deep? Black ops meets black magic in Shadow Service. The Taste: Hey there friend, I think you dropped something. Here ya go. (No, don’t look at it yet. Wait till I’m serving somebody else. Just keep smiling, say thanks, then pretend to order a drink. We’re being…watched.) A pitcher? Sure, I’ve got just the thing for you: Shadow Service. It’s a murky brew, strong, dark, and full of character. This is one to mull over, full of subtlety and surprise, and definitely no sulphur. Uh-uh. Have a sip. There’s a bitterness to it, sure – comes with any kind of noir – but there’s a freshness too – you getting that? – vibrant like magic, cutting through the mire. Mmm. Citrus-clean and crisp. Yeah, I thought you’d like it. Here, it’s on the house. Yes ma’am, how can I help y…? [MEET ME OUT BACK FOR THE FULL SKINNY.] Thoughts on the comic: Well, this one’s a cracker. It’s slick, creepy, explosive, and deeply engaging. One of the things I love about small presses is that they publish creator-owned content, giving platform to people with a unique story to tell. And they tend to be *complete stories, with real character development and actual consequences—no reboots or retcons here. As such, I think it’s a more satisfying experience: focused, self-contained, and they often reward re-reading. Shadow Service vols 1 & 2 combine to form a complete story arc, introducing Meyers to the demonic criminal underworld while bringing her deep into that most secret of services. Cavan Scott’s done a great job, crafting a twisty plot full of secrets and betrayal. I’ve burned through both volumes of this twice now in past two days, and second time round it was smashing to see just how many details were seeded in from the start – all those telling little fractures and frictions between characters that lend texture at first then gain new meaning as the story unfolds. If there is an overriding theme, it is one of sacrifice for a larger cause and of course different characters have different ideas about what constitutes ‘larger’ in this context. One thing remains true though: nothing comes without cost.  Witchcraft is Gina’s emancipation, literally and figuratively. It’s innate, instinctual, and almost entirely unique. Sounds like a free gift, right? Wrong. It’s already cost her a mother, a father, and a thousand nights sleep, and now it’s made her a target. Darryl Coyle can shape-shift, but he has an insatiable hunger for human flesh. That’s cost him his job, his marriage, and his freedom. Aashi Sidhu has no fears. She can face down any threat coolly, doing her job to practised perfection. The cost? Just every other human emotion. You get the point. Being good enough to join the shadow service just means you’ve already lost everything else. I’ve gotta say, Gina makes for a great main character, engaging our sympathies and embodying our fantasy of being more capable than we know. She’s not your typical PI, though she does do a fine line in fatalism, counter-balanced by personal resolve. We learn early on that she was once a victim of domestic abuse and now, having saved herself, she seems intent on helping others. It’s not about the money, it’s about self-worth. What elevates her (magical powers aside) is the empathy she evinces for her clients. It’s a subtle but welcome shift, and one that warms us to her immediately. One of the things that gave me the fiercest grin though was seeing how Gina negotiates a Mexican stand-off, rebalancing the tensions to try to save her target. It’s such an elegant move, placing her firmly on the side of the angels.  She’s a beating heart in a cynical world—one growing darker by the day: modern Britain. It’s actually quite refreshing for a glossy comic like this to feel **so British in character. It’s also painfully attractive to imagine that our nation’s current degraded state is down to a demonic plot rather than simple class arrogance, corruption, media complicity, and civic apathy. Countering the demonic threat in that world is Section 26 (unofficially known as MI666) the secret-service third of this genre mash-up. It’s headed up by Hex – a 400 year old child – and populated by other freaks, all dedicated to protecting our green and pleasant land from preternatural threats. Mundane politics is kept ***out of Scott’s story, thankfully, allowing us to focus on the action and adventure elements. This is more Bond’s black ops than Smiley’s pen-pushing people. I should talk a bit about the art here because – intricate as the plotting is, and snappy as the dialogue may be – it’s Corin Howell’s exquisite monster designs, hard-hitting action, and soft emotional beats that bring it all to life. [Ed. Yeah, yeah – but the monsters?] [Tut. Fine] Part of the joy of using demons in a story (rather than, say, vampires or werewolves,) is the visual freedom they grant. There’s no real archetype, so here we can find all kinds of fleshy abominations, insectoid horrors (see main image), flesh-peeling strippers, and the demon Yastrick – who would frankly take an entire paragraph to describe in words – and every single one elicits shock or disgust. She’s quite the talent!  Horror works best of course in familiar settings, sending us off kilter. Howell’s line-work (combined with Triona Farrell’s colours) manage that contrast beautifully. I mean, stop for a second and just look at that stunning wet pavement (above). There’s no horror to be seen (yet), but focus on the familiar: the light and the shadow, the texture implied by those opaque patches which help you pick out the surface of the pavement; look at that brutal downtown architecture, the brickwork and the windows. Sheer artistry. Her characters too are fabulously expressive, often angry, frustrated or desperate. There’s never a sense of stillness without intent. It’s constantly shifting landscape of story. The round-up: I’ve not come across Vault Comics before, but if this series is anything to go by, they’re a comic company to watch. In their own words, they aim to ‘break the established order, dissolve conceptions of social identity, and give voices to the silenced’ with their stories. It’s a beautifully designed comic, glossy in style but full of depth, relentlessly working to keep the reader engaged. While vol. 1 does a great job of setting up the characters and seeding in some of the deeper mysteries, vol. 2 is where things really kick into gear, uncovering a bigger plot. It’s full of twists and turns, betrayals and shockingly brutal acts, cracking the world open for expansion. With tightly-plotted scripts, a compelling focal character, and throat-grabbing art, you really couldn’t find much better to spend your money on. You’ve got eyes on the target now. Whenever you’re ready...  Reading experience: 5/5 * Compared to the likes of D.C. and Marvel who tend towards sandbox play with the same old characters in endless iteration. ** I particularly pleased to see ‘Bollocks!’ being shouted, along with such cultural references as ‘It’s all gone Pete Tong’ and, ‘Who do you think you are? Geoff Capes?’ *** Though there is a throwaway reference to Brexit that made me snort, and an ever-so tragic fate for the current Home Secretary. Written by Cavan Scott Illustrated by Corin Howell Coloured by Triona Farrell Lettered by Andworld Published by Vault Reviewer: Dion Winton-Polak TODAY ON THE GINGER NUTS OF HORROR WEBSITE NEST OF NIGHTMARES BY LISA TUTTLE [PAPERBACKS FROM HELL]CHILDHOOD FEARS: EXORCISING DEMONS ONE WORD AT A TIME [FEATURE] THE HEART AND SOUL OF HORROR FICTION REVIEWS Comments are closed.
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