Broken Frontier

With “The Enemy,” the critically acclaimed title from Oni Press continues the “Enemy Within” arc, a series of issues that shine the spotlight on various cast members.

Last weekend, I was at a potluck dinner, and one of the dishes was a salad – layers of various veggies, a delectable sauce, and topped with a hearty amount of cheese.  One of the children at the potluck was the first to this dish, and ladled out a helping from only the top cheese layer.  It wasn’t until he sat down to eat that his mother explained to him, he needed to go beyond the top layer, to all the good stuff underneath.

Yeah, I know – I’m not being too subtle with my thoughts on this book…

I’ve heard of Wasteland, I’ve enjoyed Antony Johnston’s past work (coincidently, that same weekend, I had just re-read Johnston’s excellent romantic caper, Three Days in Europe), and have even been tempted on occasion to give this book a try based on the buzz it has.  But I was completely lost by this issue – not in the sense of it being incomprehensible, but that as a new reader, I only had the basest sense of how these characters related to each other.  I spent most of the book reading it with the official Wasteland website on my screen.

What I took away from this issue was a serviceable story about a man trying to make a difference with the government he hates.  Jakob’s efforts to affect change from within, are contrasted with a growing rebellion inside the walled city the story is set in.  While TheBigWet.com does give this some context, most of the answers are only going to be found in Wasteland Volumes 1-5.  From this issue alone, would I be motivated to seek them out?  Eh.  The snapshots of Jakob's life over the course of six months were moderately interesting, but the “non-surprise” reveal of the revolutionary leader left me a little cold.  I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to hunt down what came before.

I did rather enjoy Christopher Mitten’s work on the title, complemented by the Ben Templesmith cover.  Although it initially took me a little effort to distinguish who was who, I found Mitten's backgrounds mesmerizing.  Making amble use of various grey tones and ink work, Mitten makes the city of Newbegin the most engrossing character in the book.  Heavy line, shading, and ink splatter make everyone and everything feel dirty, while the lighter background tones create the feeling of an apocalyptical haze hanging over the entire world.  Moody and distinct, I’m happy to have Mr. Mitten’s artwork now on my radar (one of my first thoughts was that he’d be excellent to have on a western story – so it looks like I’ll be checking out Outlaw Territory).

So, here I am with my plateful of grated cheese.  I know if I head back to the table, there’s some pretty good stuff under the cheese (Wasteland even has an original soundtrack, for goodness' sakes – a soundtrack!  Johnston has a great “travelogue” included with each issue, that really helps flesh out the Wasteland world), but…

… I’m already sitting down.  Maybe a little later, I’ll go back, if I have room for seconds.