Dear, sweet lord. I don’t even know how to start properly, but I will try… But first things first, just a quick fanboy moment: My first gore comic ever!
Last week I talked about a familiar comic sort of comic that was funny, enjoyable and suitable for all ages. This week however I was reading a very adult book! If I were to sum up the book in one word it would be BLOOD. I can safely say that Survivor’s Club #7 was the most bizarre thing I’ve read so far, and that includes the tons of normal books I read!
We have what turns out to be three stories in one single issue. The first is about a family trapped in a house with a serial killer that’s very sadistic; the second story revolves around a girl who is trapped inside a video game that tries to kill her; the third and final, is about a zombie-like invasion in the middle of a town (maybe the one where all of these other characters live?)
I have to say say that this one is very graphic, uncensored, and shows everything as it is. Survivor’s Club #7 truly does not skimp on the gore factor in any way. I was surprised more than once and I’ll admit that it’s something hard to do for someone like me. The book grabbed my attention in the best sort of way.
The way the story develops is also great. The writing team of Dale Halvorsen and Lauren Beukes show us just enough of what is necessary to get the point across, and no more than that (thank heavens). The plot moves along at a good pace and never allows you to get bored with what you’re. The script is darn good and helps the book stand out.
The art helped to keep me reading despite the raw and brutal images we see. The style actually softens them somehow and same can be said of writers. Ryan Kelly doesn’t show more than what you will want to see, especially if you’re a rookie in gore heavy comics as I am. The art and colors are top notch.
Lots of good things going on in Survivor’s Club #7, but this issue isn’t perfect.The first page of the book shows a scene we won’t learn anything about in the later pages. Maybe it’s an introduction to the serial killer part, but it doesn’t work for me. It seems like the creators wanted to show something but didn’t knew what that really was. It confuses me as a reader and don’t like the art employed there that much as it’s not the best mix of context and style. It makes me think I’m looking at something like Ugly Americans; you can probably tell my opinion about that show.
So, having that said, I’m just going to say that anyone who likes classic art, dark plots and lots of blood will love Survivor’s Club #7! It keeps you reading once you overcome the slight confusion from the first scene, and it didn’t disappoint me any more than that.
Fast paced, original, different, with a weird, bizarre and attractive style that I’m still trying to understand AND figure out. I’ll be on the look out for future issues because this one really intrigued me with how all this mess started. If Internet doesn’t lie, it’ll happen on May 4th; look at the eighth issue’s cover and tell me it doesn’t give you goosebumps. Vertigo, you rock!