“Enormous” is a monster movie within the frame work of a television show told through the freedom of the comic pages. Details of their origins are currently unknown but giant monsters from “a vast ecological cataclysm” have attacked us. Think Godzilla, but the size of a large bus and the look of a Frankenstein monster made from the world’s most horrific predators. Basically, they look fucking rad and could spell a gruesome end to our short time on this big rock. If that’s not enough, there is also a mysterious parasitic fungus that is turning humans into nothing more than vessels for an unknown, insidious purpose.
WRITTEN BY: Tim Daniel
ART BY: Mehdi Cheggour
PUBLISHER: 215 Ink
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: July 2, 2014
Reviewed By: Torbin Chimners
This first issue wastes no time building out its world. We’re given a quick blurb before the comic even begins that informs us that Earth is wrapped up in a worldwide crisis for food and fuel, (A fate we could potentially find ourselves in the near future.) Along with this all too real information, we also learn that massive beasts dubbed “The Enormous” have begun to appear. The first quarter of the book bounces us between multiple people in multiple locations, all centred around this new parasitic threat. It’s unclear if any of these people are characters that will matter within the series or if they’re just used for exposition.
Jumping ahead a year in the plot, we’re introduced to our protagonist, Ellen Grace who we spend the rest of the issue with. We’re not explicitly told a lot about her, instead we learn about Ellen through her actions. I’m intrigued and can’t wait to learn more about her. She’s a strong and engaging character. She’s reason enough to come back to “Enormous” with subsequent issues.
Mehdi Cheggour’s art is pretty damn interesting. The first thing it made me think of was A Scanner Darkly withit’s almost rotoscoped feel. It’s like someone took a series of keyframes from a rotoscoped film and arranged them as panels in a comic. Cheggour also makes great use of artificial lens flares that work perfectly in tandem with the already close to life art. My only gripe is that a couple of the faces look too similar. There were a couple moments that I was unsure who was who, but these were few and far between.
“Enormous” has hooked me. The way it’s presented as a television show, with the issues even being renamed as episodes, feels fresh and engaging. Compounded with the absolutely grotesque monster designs and an gripping female protagonist I’d say this is a series worth keeping on your radar.
Torbin Chimners AKA Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter@Vulgar_Rhombus