Broken Frontier

Set in a world just one super-powered footstep away from our own, debut writer Andi Ewington’s 45 follows the journey of journalist and soon-to-be father James Stanley as he considers both the possibility that his unborn child may have metahuman powers and the implications this would have for his family. The book takes the form of 45 interviews with 45 super-humans (known predominantly as "Super-S" in this reality) and those on the periphery of their world. Stanley embarks on this journalistic quest in the hope that he will thus gain an insight from the super-powered community into what living with an empowered child will entail. But his journey takes on a more sinister aspect as, at nearly every turn, he finds a government-sanctioned organisation manipulating the super-powered beings of this Earth for their own morally dubious agendas.

For a first-time writer Andi Ewington certainly wasn’t intending on making things easy for himself with this convention-bending debut offering. Ewington’s initial foray into the world of comics, via Brit publishers Com.x, is both ambitious and bold; simultaneously embracing the trappings of super-hero comics while eschewing their traditional narrative structure. That narrative style adopts a radically different approach from that of the average OGN: each interview takes the form of a one-page illustration of the interviewee from a different artist accompanied by a single page transcript of Stanley’s discussion with the subject.

Whether 45 is truly a "graphic novel" then (and when it comes to the nebulous definition of that term let’s not even think about opening up that particularly squirming can of hyperactive worms), an illustrated novella, or something else altogether, is open to discussion. Ultimately, however, such concerns are actually largely academic. What is relevant here is, that in a comics industry increasingly concerned with playing it safe, Com.x have shown reassuring faith in a fledgling creator and a book that is refreshingly experimental in presentation and tone. Considered in that context, the fact that Ewington also delivers the goods so entertainingly is almost a bonus.

Each interview not only tells a contained story of the interviewee’s life to date but also provides another puzzle piece to be slotted into the jigsaw of 45’s "bigger picture". From humour to humanity, from pathos to the pathological, the interview subjects of 45 evoke the full gamut of emotional responses in the book’s readers. In his protagonist’s approach to impending fatherhood there is no doubt that Ewington is writing from personal experience but his ability to pull at even the most cynical heartstrings is not restricted to just James Stanley’s plight.

Within the pages of 45, for example, you will find tragic twists on the super-powers riff that you cannot help but be moved by: a heart-rending mother and son relationship stifled by the child’s Super-S heritage, a "Competitive Dad" character dominating his super-son and an interview with imminently-expecting parents that takes a desperately moving turn are just a small representation.

As Stanley’s interviews progress, Ewington also plays very effectively with extrapolating the concept of super-abilities within in a "real world" scenario. He ranges here from perhaps obvious ideas (like characters with self-destructive powers or a penchant for invisible voyeurism) to more subtle and intriguing concepts like super-identity theft, jurisdictional disputes and the veiled disappointments of "normal" children born to metahuman couples. There’s even room for satire and parody as less emotive themes like celebrity chefs and ultimate fanboys are sprinkled with a super-hero flavoring. The author also show a deft hand at pulling issues out of today’s headlines that resonate on another level altogether and provide understated social commentary without any accompanying heavy-handed preaching.

In amongst these individual accounts the reader gradually begins to pick up on the aforementioned "bigger picture" of this fictional reality as Ewington weaves the manipulative and malignant XoDOS organisation in and out of his tale. The narrative structure means the reader slowly pieces together the true nature and agenda of this covert institution from the individual interviews, as accounts of their operations, allegiances and political aims begin to form a consistent whole and a global conspiracy is gradually revealed. XoDOS’ influence has touched the lives of many of the characters we meet in the course of these interviews – some overtly, some subtly and some peripherally. But their presence is never far from the reader’s mind throughout.

Forty-five separate artists have been drafted in to lend their wildly differing styles and imaginations to interpreting those heroes, villains and supporting players of the book’s universe. The artists’ conceptions of the characters have been rendered with no brief from the writer, giving the visuals of 45 an organic, almost freeform feel to them.

Some of the creators involved will be very well-known to the audience (Charlie Adlard, Dan Brereton, Rufus Dayglo, Jock, Sean Phillips, John Higgins, Trev Hairsine), some not so much, perhaps, or even not at all (Sally Hurst, Kenneth Rocafort, Admira Wijaya, Kat Nicholson), but all of them contribute something unique and memorable to the proceedings. What is important to note here is that a storytelling conceit that could easily have come across as a frenetic mishmash of artistic styles instead feels like a suitably multi-layered visual representation of a diverse and complex world. This being a Com.x publication, of course, there are also a plethora of "extras" included that give behind-the-scenes details on 45’s genesis.

Every reader will leave 45 wanting to see more of the individual characters that have struck a chord with them (for myself 74-year-old pensioner super-heroine Aftershock Girl remains the standout creation!). But the two overarching plotlines – the very human story of James Stanley and the more expansive intrigue of the XoDOS organisation, their manipulation of the Super-S community and their involvement in global politics – will stick in your mind long after you’ve put the book down . We can only hope our first foray into this world proves to be the beginning of a long, long journey and not a pleasant, but brief, stopover visit.

In 45, Andi Ewington has seemingly effortlessly launched us into a fully-realised fictional reality, one that is replete with its own terminology, slang and super-hero based social structure, and one that has a potential that must not be squandered. After more than 35 years of reading comics I really should be long past feeling any significant degree of enthusiasm for yet another new super-hero universe. But 45’s clever, innovative and inventive approach has delivered a swift and timely knee to the metaphorical groin of my jaded cynicism. Without a doubt, 45 is an unmissable start to Com.x ‘s publishing schedule for 2010.

45 is published by Com.x priced $17.99/£11.99.