Reviewed By Eric Switzer. Part 2 of the 8 part “Burning Fields” miniseries is densely packed with new information and new questions about who are what is killing and dismembering people around a middle eastern oil field. “Burning Fields” is a unique blend of political thriller, body horror, and noir in a setting virtually never seen outside of modern war films (or particular national cinema) and, for my money, is the only book you should absolutely be buying today.
WRITTEN BY: Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel
ART BY: Colin Lorimer
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 18, 2015
There is a lot to like about this book. The dialogue, for one, is sharp and gritty, the back-and-forth between Dana and Aban serves to distinguish their characteristics and background while having tons of noir style. Tonally, the book is a blast to read because it feels so carefully and deliberately constructed. As a reader I appreciate the evidence of the creators’ investment; I can be taken along for the ride because I trust that I’ll end up somewhere that’s worth it. This is my impression of “Burning Fields” a quarter of the way in. I feel confident this will be a satisfying journey.
The scope has swelled beyond just the field and those around it quickly, as we are introduced to a cultish group whose involvement is uncertain. I was confused by the conversation between Verge and their leader. It was the same kind of setup that confused me in the first issue, because there is such a noticeable lack of exposition in their dialogue and we are being so deliberately thrown into the middle of something with not context that it feels like I missed something. The other thing that slightly tripped me up was in a classic crime drama moment Dana is clued into a worker abandoning the job site and referred to someone else for more information, only to track down that person and immediately be referred to someone else for more information. Had it happened one more time I may have tipped my hat to the satire, however out of place it would have been, but as it stands its right on the line between useless and laughable.
For both issues I’m really tempted to give “Burning Fields” a perfect score. It is shaping up to be a really great story, with sophisticated writing, interesting and engaging artwork, and the kind of originality that makes you crave something you didn’t ever know you wanted. But along the way I the book has some bumps. My feeling is when it is all over we will look back at the complete package and see that all the pieces are there. Issue to issue, however, there are things here and there that take me out of the experience. The book is ambitious and, if nothing else, supporting it with our dollars means we’ll get more fresh ideas in comics. I highly recommend it.
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Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.