Cemetery Beach is published by Image Comics. It is written by Warren Ellis with art by Jason Howard.
Warren Ellis is one of those writers that you pick up without hesitation because you know it’s going to be a good read. Now, I haven’t read every single thing he’s ever written, but so far he has yet to disappoint me and I don’t foresee Cemetery Beach being the comic that changes that. The character of Michael Blackburn already made me chortle within the first 3 pages. I know no one uses the word “chortle” but God, it’s just such a good word. And really accurately describes my amusement.
Michael “Mike” Blackburn is, well…I’m not exactly sure…some kind of spec ops pathfinder. What I do know is he is in an interrogation chamber on an unfamiliar planet that was secretly colonized by a group of humans in the 1930s and that everything is nuts there. I mean, how could it not be? Some random group of eccentrics goes off-world and establishes a secret civilization? Of course it’s gone to hell by 2018.
And if everything is nuts, you might as well make friends with a murderess who knows the area and can help you get off planet. Sidenote: Grace Moody is a boss. She probably did do plenty of “murderous shit”, as she eloquently puts it, but that doesn’t make her any less of a badass when she leap-kicks a guard off of the hover car she and Mike steal to make their getaway. I know I shouldn’t advocate to idolize murderers of any kind, but she’s just so cool.
I really like how Warren Ellis to pairing these two characters. Mike is clearly good at what he does, but also quick-witted on top of that and Grace is more serious but also snarky. It seems like they both get to have some comedic feel to them rather than a good-cop/bad-cop scenario. I also like that Warren Ellis is establishing a culture for this world. Yes, the people speak English, but they are behind us in many ways but also more advanced in others. Like, they don’t have cellphones or tablets, but they have hover cars. And Grace looks like an futuristic rebel from an 80s movie. Certain things progressed in a similar way and yet they also diverged. And while the general public on Earth have no idea about them, people living on Earth is common knowledge for them.
I like this sketched but somehow a little cartoony style that Jason Howard has for this comic. It’s super gritty and serious looking sometimes but then their facial expressions will be exaggerated and it just adds to that humorous tone.
Oh and another sidenote: I did not see one cemetery or beach. So. Little misleading, Mr. Ellis. Just saying.
OVERALL SCORE: 9 / 10
Make sure you pick up a copy of Cemetery Beach #1 from your local comic shop!
Happy reading!
