Groom Lake #1
Reviewed by Dane Dravor
Groom Lake #1 "Above and Below"
Written by Chris Ryall
Art by Ben Templesmith
Letters by Robbie Robbins
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
Release: March 2009
Pages: 22
Reviewed by: Dane Dravor
Publisher Summary:
The truth is out... er, under there? In the remote Nevada desert there sits a dry lakebed called Groom Lake, and under that land resides a secret base that holds all the secrets of the world. Not this world, either. Writer Chris Ryall and artist Ben Templesmith present a four-part tale of abductions and probings, conspiracies and secrets. And the key to it all is held in the grey, six-fingered hand of one Ng Hudson.
Review:
Chris Ryall and Ben Templesmith shoves us into a world that would make any UFO hunter and conspiracy theorist salivate! Or perhaps it is our world... You decide as you follow Agent Leticia Pope and a grey named Archibald as they pull an unsuspecting Karl Bauer into a covert operation, giving him a front seat to things only read about in tabloids and dark sections of the bookstore no one admits going to.
Groom Lake is packed full of everything you'd expect in a story about aliens, from abductions, disfiguring experiments, secret bases, agents in black, government cover ups to a killer alien robot. Peppered with the essence of the Twilight Zone, Outer Limits and a bit of the X-Files; Ryall and Templesmith explore the dark recesses or our paranoid mind that tells us that everything we feared about aliens and our government is true.
Sci-fi isn't generally my preferred genre when it comes to comics but I think this series will be an exception. It gives an honest portrayal of humanity and delves into our own personal fears of not really being in control of our own lives, the world around us as well as trusting those who are supposed to serve and protect us.
I was originally attracted to this series because of the art of Ben Templesmith, who is one of my favorite artists in the industry. His visceral drawing style and use of an opaque palate of dark colors and contrasting light gives his work a dream-like or nightmarish -- depending on your point of view-- quality that I find refreshing.
This is the first comic I have read with Chris Ryall as the writer and I will defiantly look for more of his projects. He has a great sense of storytelling with a well thought out plot. I very much enjoy his wit and straight forward language which makes the characters relatable. Ryall and Templesmith seem like a perfect collaboration for this project and makes for a great story that pulls you in from the first frame. If this first issue is any indication of what is to come I will defiantly be following this series through to the end.
Rating the Issue
| Story Concept - 8 Plot - 8 Dialogue - 9 |
Art Style - 9 Storytelling - 9 Color/Tones - 10 |
Importance To the title - 8 To the company - 8 To the medium - 9 |
Take A Look Inside
Our thanks to bentemplesmith.blogspot.com for the great preview!
Reviewer Bio
Name: Xane and Dane Dravor
email: Housemorbid@hotmail.com
Been reading comics: for over 20 years.
Review Bio: A brother and sister team who are endeavoring to make our mark on the world through art. We adore comics, graphic novels and all things where our two favorite things (art and words), come together. We like things on the darker side and the twists that can come in the stories told in comics and graphic novels, like they can be told no where else.
Favorites: This changes almost daily, but right now - BPRD, Daredevil - the 10th anniversary written by Kevin Smith, Hellboy - weird tales. 30 Days of Night, Wormwood Gentleman Corpse, Marvel Zombies... the list goes on and on. We don't really have any end all be all favorites.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/housemorbid & http://www.housemorbidltd.etsy.com
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