Berona's War: Field Guide
Anthony Coffey and Jesse Labbe, Archaia (www.archaia.com), $19.95 (160p) ISBN 978193238689
Swarms of cute, furry little critters thirsting for each others' blood fill this extremely clever introductory guide to the war fought over the once-lovely land of Amity by The Ele-Alta from the western mountains of Berona and The Cropones, who live in the eastern forests. Both races look like stuffed children's toys, with oversize heads and big eyes that can seem winsome and innocent--or sly and malevolent. As displays of sprawled casualties demonstrate, their primitive armaments are equally whimsical and deadly. If they fail to butcher each other, it's not for lack of trying; they can design a death ray, for example, but have trouble building a working version out of chipped stone and rough-hewn wood. The book itself looks like an deliberately unpolished draft of a role-playing-game manual, patched together on notebook paper, with post-it notes and whiteout corrections. The art is lovely, though, with strong design and a real feel for the world. To be followed by an ongoing story called Berona's War: Fight for Amity. Illus. (Aug.)
Chew: The Omnivore Edition, Vol. 1
John Layman and Rob Guillory, Image (Diamond, dist.), $34.99 (264p) ISBN 9781607062936
This breakout indie success (the first two storylines of which are collected here) is the very definition of high-concept: a gastronomical-satirical crime thriller named after its protagonist, Tony Chu, a "cibopath" detective who gets psychic impressions from everything he eats. Chu is consequently recruited by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA and forced to put one horrifically disgusting thing after another into his mouth. The setting is a near-future world where a pandemic bird flu has led the U.S. government to outlaw chicken (now served only at speakeasies), giving rise to the discovery of a suspicious fruit that tastes... like chicken. Though Layman's tone can be inconsistent--fluctuating between light comedy and grisly violence--it levels out when other characters with food-related gifts show up, including a "cibolocutor" who can express himself solely through culinary arts. Guillory's loose, loopy style, with its wildly distorted anatomy and perspective, underscores Layman's humor but is grounded in brick-solid storytelling; a knockout scene early on, where Chu becomes overwhelmed by the psychic residue in a single spoonful of soup, perfectly sums up the curious aftertaste of this nutty, tangy tome. Illus. (Aug.)
Hellcity: The Whole Damn Thing
Macon Blair and Joe Flood, Image (Diamond, dist.), $24.99 (328p) ISBN 9781607062905
Bill Tankersley lives in hell--literally. Damned for killing himself after a serial killer gunned down his wife, Bill spends his days in Hellcity working in a bacon cookery and attending remorse sessions in which he relives his sins with a diabolical social worker. When a beautiful female demon from Lucifer's executive branch asks him to investigate the devil's mysterious disappearances and personality shifts, Bill refuses... until he learns he really doesn't have a choice. While in-fighting and coup plots ripple through Lucifer's cabinet, a human anarchist group is attacking police demons downtown, and somehow all this centers on Bill's wife, who runs an orphanage in Heaventown. A playful and smart homage to city life and Chandler-style noir, the story sometimes gropes for a focus; it's difficult to know who to root for. Flood's artwork is sleek and elegant when Bill meets the demon who will lead him into her world of politics and power, then ragged and bold when he fights for his life in the chaos of lower Hellcity. Blair's wry humor is just right for a story that depends on mythological and religious allusion for its power, yet cannot take itself completely seriously. Illus. (Aug.)
