Broken Frontier

With most of the political intrigue of the early issues fading to the background, Jeff Parker concentrates almost entirely on the pair of park rangers trapped in the caverns. With excellent research and for the most part believable interaction of the main characters, the fourth issue of Underground pits man against nature for the climax of the plot. Opting for simplicity, Parker gives us several pages of authentic cave exploration. The sexual tension between the recent lovers overshadowed the danger of the cave in interest.

The most satisfying thing about this title so far has been its low key action, and authentic character interactions. The revulsion and horror of the conspirators as they witness the well burned body of their comrade reveals them as people who took the role of villain for a quick payday, but clearly not the amoral, ruthless, and I shudder to say “cool” bad guy we are accustomed to seeing in comics. This is not a book filled with black ops assassins and larger than life caricature heroes.

Steve Lieber's artwork is reminiscent of the great adventure strips of the past. All his characters have unique features, with slight exaggerations, but are fully believable and pleasing to the eye. He employs two distinct inking styles, with the second being bold, bold lines when the characters are in the darkness of the cavern. I am not fully sold on the monochromatic scheme of the underground scenes, but they stand in stark difference to the very bright color palette of the above ground world.

Beyond the expert rendering of the characters, Lieber's choreography of the cavern travel, and his incredible backgrounds draw the reader into this unfamiliar world without resorting to the stereotypical cave structures. Everything about Underground is well researched, from the equipment, cave formations, etc...Lieber's work is crisper here than on Whiteout, which was an exceptional looking book in its own right. Simple, clean layouts and superior lettering make this book instantly accessible for the general reading public, aligning well with the realistic plotline. Parker and Lieber seem to be aiming at a wider audience, and in this, hopefully, they will succeed.

As a serial, the cliffhangers have been good, but I think this title will get notoriety as a complete graphic novel. Though it's not as complex in plot as early issues intimated, it is nonetheless a satisfying adventure so far, and I look forward to the final issue's conclusion. Not really fitting into the popular sub-genres of modern comics, Underground deserves a broad readership.