Broken Frontier

Age of Insects is a difficult story to describe, not so much in terms of central plot, which is epic and therefore streamlined in a properly Joseph Campbell way, but more in impact as a singular reading experience, which proved to be a wonderfully twisty thing indeed.  Based on the first issue alone, only a few things stand clear: a) there’s a freaky-eyed boy, referred to as a “Brid” (short for Hybrid, I assume), who’s escaped from a vicious black ops contingent called “Purity,”  b) Purity is hunting the Brid by any means necessary, and  c) an entomology professor, Flynn Morgan, far away in India, is dreaming of the Brid-boy, and undergoing a startling metamorphosis himself.

Sure, this first issue clocks in at 48 pages, oversized, with a jaw-dropping, gorgeous cover by Ben Templesmith and interior design by Jillian Palethorpe, and yes, a lot happens in its 48 pages.  But perhaps that’s the catch: AoI isn’t a straight-forward or unambitious telling, it isn’t small, and while an epic, it remains staunchly character driven.  Such strategy calls for a unique narrative, a structure that acknowledges the multiple levels of the story’s ultimate effect.  Scientists and escaped hybrid-humans and militant task forces aren’t, separately (or, hell, even together) new things to comics.  But read AoI and you’ll be sure to think so.

Creator/writer Sparky Green brings a lot of old-fashioned pulp to the book’s pages, though, again, he puts it all on paper in a way that manages to read as a far more fascinating treat than any purely nostalgic yarn could be.  Moving slickly between action sequences, dream sequences, artful moments of symbolism and contrast, and even (my favorite) interim pages displaying memos, personal letters, and news articles that act to flesh out the world of AoI while the main thread remains tight on the primary players,   I couldn’t have been more satisfied with what Not Human, Book One had to offer.

The art by Louis Pieper is likely to divide a lot of fans.  One the one hand, his work is beautifully laid out, with a strong sense of drama and dynamism on every panel.  But Pieper’s style will attract, by-and-large, only those who have sampled and enjoyed the likes of fandom giants such as “Grass” Green’s Xal-Kor, The Human Cat, and Biljo White’s The Eye.  Pieper’s figures hold that same lovable awkwardness to their frames as those other works, while the illustrated events themselves never lack in grace, vitality, or power.  Those who only respond to Jim Lee or John Cassaday be warned—this ain’t your movie-on-paper  spandex wet dream.  Complementing the story perfectly, Pieper’s world is one that flows, odd and inspired as it is charming, simple, and basic.

All in all, Age of Insects looks to be another indie that should find itself a very natural niche in the current comics community.  It’s a wild ride, and from the previews posted at their website (www.ageofinsects.com), it looks to be only the very barest of beginnings.  So strap in tight and dig in to this wonderful new book, which deserves to be dug deep, deeply into.  And if you need a nudge further in order to commit, check out the comic’s kick-ass trailer over at YouTube.  It’ll be tough to resist afterward, trust me on this.