WRITER/ARTIST: Jay Gunn
PUBLISHER: Titan Comics
ISSUES IN SERIES: 1 (OF 5)
PAGE-COUNT: 40pp
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE DATE: 27th May 2015
ORDER CODE: MAR151531
“WE ARE ALL MADE OF WATER”
Months after mysterious corals drew 99 per cent of humanity into the sea, a band of survivors ekes out a hollow existence on a remote British island.
When two people are cast up on the beach, completely blue, but very much alive, the island is thrown into turmoil.
What caused the mass extinction event? How did these two return from the deep, when billions died? Most importantly, what is the coral, and what does it want with the Earth?
A timely ecological fable of a planet rebelling against its inhabitants – perfect for fans of The Walking Dead, The Day of the Triffids, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Surface Tension is a gorgeous adventure of unprecedented scope. The oceans have never seemed so threatening!
The Review: Titan Comics have been making a lot of noise for the eagerly anticipating the release of Surface Tension #1, a new creator-owned mini-series by Jay Gunn – and with good reason, because the book is a terrific read, the first issue offering a 36-page slow burn introduction that ends with a spine-chilling cliffhanger.
A post apocalypse tale that could easily transfer to other medium, this opening issue carefully sets the scene for the story, introducing a humanity much reduced and isolated, as a band of survivors of a zombie-like disaster ekes out a hollow existence on a remote British island.
Other reviewers have described Surface Tension as “mysterious and intriguing”, and “Princess Mononoke meets The Walking Dead“. For me, however, Jay’s fine work and storytelling evokes memories of John Wyndham’s environmental disaster-inspired SF novels, and the original Marvel UK Knights of Pendragon series.
“I poured a lot of myself into this book and I thought, if I only ever get the chance to make one book then I wanted it to ‘mean something'”, says Jay of creating Surface Tension. “Not just for me but for the reader. We live in turbulent times and I didn’t want to make a book that is a simply a reflection of our capacity to hate. I wanted to make something that inspires hope, even in the darkest of times.”
Well for me, I think he’s certainly achieved his goal. Art-wise, I’d argue there’s a strong Bryan Talbot influence on the work, but Jay has his own individual and fast-developing style that all in all makes Surface Tension something rather special. The attention to detail he gives to his pages gives this book more of a bande dessines vibe than some other Titan Comics releases, and that is no bad thing.
Well worth a look, there are some preview pages below: note that these are not consecutive pages.
• Surface Tension #1 (available with three variant covers) is on sale now in all good comic shops . For more information visit:http://titan-comics.com/c/54-surface-tension/
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, Reviews