FELL #5 REVIEW

[Corey Brotherson]

Reviewer: Corey Brotherson, cbrotherson@googlemail.com

"I can do things to men that poodles only dream of!"

Written by: Warren Ellis
Illustrated by: Ben Templesmith
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Published by: Image Comics

Fell is one of those comics which manages to be a glorious example of how to be slightly different in our beloved medium while remaining within the constraints of comfort. Case in point: each issue weighs in at 16 pages of story (no ads), self-contained but with running themes and characters, cheap at a wallet friendly $1.99 US, and with DVD-style commentary/extras packed in the four remaining pages at the back that describes the process of the issue's creation, with script excerpts, artwork, letters and a small preview of the next story.

Sorry, was that a bit too much like an advertorial?

Hmm.

Okay, let's try that again.

In an industry where we're constantly complaining about decompression, obstructive adverts ruining the flow and pace of a story, high prices, product placement and whatever else that may be the 'internet moan du jour', Fell is a breath of fresh air. It's an experiment that works; the 16 page maximum (designed to help keep costs down) forces the well-oiled creative team of Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith to be as economic and forceful as possible with their projections on page. So there's a lot of story for your money. Yet despite this narrative density, it still shows Ellis' desire to make comics more accessible by providing a self-contained story that can be picked up by anyone at any time, grabbing the reader by the scruff and dragging them into this not quite black-and-white world of crime. No years of history or continuity to know or understand. No capes. No unrealistic rhetoric. Just a misplaced detective by the name of Richard Fell, trying to struggle his way through a little setting called Snowtown; a mysterious noir-drenched dwelling that's a far from the four-coloured norm.

And it's brilliant.

There's a subtle texture to Fell that appears to be the sum combination of its above elements, covered by a fierceness born of its necessity to provide more for less. As with previous issues, we follow the titular protagonist on his far-from-typical day around Snowtown, this time taking a trip to the local precinct where the unsuccessful interrogation of a perp is taking place. The detective steps in to try and squeeze information from this scraggly menace, leading to a sharply intense but engaging showdown. It's police drama via Ellis' often excellent dialogue and Templesmith's gloomy yet powerful artwork. Together, they paint a picture of desperate people in a place that feeds off that same desperation, something apparent in not only this issue but throughout the series to date.

Interrogation scenes are always interesting to watch and read, but it takes a skilled writer to pull them off because they have to work on multiple layers. The first is an obvious act of sparing; two people working at separate ends with separate goals. One against the other in a desire to tell rather than show. While that's going on, the second objective comes in, as the subjects try to work out each other's methods while remaining passive on the surface. That allows for mistakes, which leads to an eventual display of verbal violence as one gains advantage, and the other tries to recover ground. All of this has to be clear, yet unmechanical and presented in an entertaining way without sacrificing pacing, visual diversity (as talking heads are often the order of the day), while keeping it all satisfying and fun. Needless to say, that's all here in spades, and the tension of each page builds, dips, builds and peaks with measured precision.

As with the previous couple issues, there's a growing sense of Fell finally finding his feet at last within Snowtown. Naturally he's at home in an interrogation situation, which is far more familiar to him than a man in a changing room with a bomb strapped to his chest (yeah, check the previous issues, you'll love it). But in regards to the entities existing within the creepy and somewhat spiritual habitat that the detective has stumbled into, Fell is getting much more of a foothold in his life there, in spite of the people who have made it so hard for him to settle. Here, he's confident and verbally dominant, controlling the town's denizens with a mental strength not seen since the series started.

Snowtown is a place that chews its people up, and it's clear that Ellis is creating a vision where the setting is ruled not by its model citizens, but by its clawing underbelly. Yet Fell is a character who refuses to let this be the norm, and constantly goes against his expectations, forcing a fresh perspective and shining a light on its people via his strong sense of justice and willingness to do 'What's Right'. There's an ongoing feeling that Fell's repeated insistence to go against Snowtown's inherent rules of thumb is going to come back on him severely (with violence) in future issues, but that's what helps this book remain so intriguing, and gives it a vital emotional link between its singular stories.

The layouts are -as expected- dense, compacting around eight to nine panels per page. But since the comic's beginning, Templesmith has shown his adaptability, switching-up from the usually sketchy and loose-pencilled look that helped make horror books like 30 Days of Night appear so distinguished, to a far clearer yet characteristically gritty tone that gets better each month. His artwork is extremely suitable for the series, providing the powerfully mysterious and uncertainly grainy feel that Snowtown represents (where Fell himself usually looks a tad visually cleaner and more defined in contrast to his fellows) without sacrificing the all-important clarity needed to let the story breathe and progress; something even more vital given the weight of dialogue the panels often need to contain. The muted, washed-out look is ideal, changing at vital moments to reflect the mood, but continuing to keep the dark and brooding tonal flow that persists. It may not be to everyone's tastes, but here it fits well.

Valuable as always are the construction notes at the back of the issue, providing insight into its creation. Ellis expresses his thoughts on how Will Eisner and other factors influenced his direction and ideas on building the interrogation scene so it remained visually interesting. This alone is something rarely shared within the pages of a comic book and provides even more value; something needed in a climate where waiting for trades has become a prudent way of saving money.

Everything about Fell silently screams careful planning and thought, and it shows through its reliable excellence. The dialogue crackles with typical Ellis spark, while Templesmith's artwork provides the ideal and essential visual essence that brings it all together. Very little is sacrificed in providing a memorable experience. Despite its slightly erratic semi-monthly schedule, this cheaper, physically smaller yet consistently superb comic is a textbook example of why floppies should continue in their current form.

Enjoy.


OVERALL:

[Ovid]

A great review for a great book. I now really want to read Eisner's Spirit.

My only criticism is that Det. Fell is just a bit too ubercompetent, but I guess you have to expect that from an Ellis hero.

[Paul Shinn]

Originally Posted by T. Martin

A great review for a great book. I now really want to read Eisner's Spirit.

I agree. I've been meaning to check out The Spirit for a while now, but Ellis' editorial at the end of this issue has spurred me on to pick up The Best of The Spirit ASAP...

My only criticism is that Det. Fell is just a bit too ubercompetent, but I guess you have to expect that from an Ellis hero.

Again, I agree. There's never really a sense that he might fail, although I'm always surprised by his actions...

[Corey Brotherson]

Cheers guys!

There is that feeling that maybe Fell is a little too damn good ("he's a complicated man, but no one can understand him, but his womaaaan"), which I guess is part of the problem when you have to do one-shot stories per issue - things need to be fairly wrapped up by the end, and ending with the protagonist failing leaves the reader comparatively empty. It's a bit like old school shows like Magnum PI, Columbo, Miami Vice or *cough* TJ Hooker, where you know by the end they'd get their man by the time 30-45 mins was up, it was just a matter of how (which is always a fun ride, even if you know the destination).

That said, given Ellis' style and the way the stories have been progressing, I honestly feel the super-detective is starting to peak and Snowtown is going to get a measure of him very soon. And when that happens (maybe something to do with scary nun-mask guy that keeps reappearing), it's going to be brutal and hard, leaving us with a man having to claw his way back up again.

Maybe

[Paul Shinn]

Interesting theory - especially as if it features the scary nun-mask guy. I love his (her?) cameos in this series: the sense of menace mixed with a bizarre black humour...

[Ewok_of_Doom]

Just a small remark regarding Fell's ubercompetentness: in #4, he lost.

Great review. In a sane market this would sell New Avengers numbers.