North 40 (Issues 1 - 2) | Under the Radar Magazine

North 40 (Issues 1 - 2)

WildStorm/DC

Story by Aaron Williams; Art by Fiona Staples

Aug 18, 2009 Web Exclusive By Kyle Lemmon

North 40‘s Conover County seems like any of the multitude of podunk American towns. There’s nothing much to do except drink, fight and gossip in any order possible. That static cycle forever shifts into the horrific realm after two stupid high school kids open what looks like a Necronomicon, or book of the dead, at the town library. After reciting an ancient incantation, night falls, people black out for several hours and all hell literally breaks loose.

The new Wildstorm series is written by Aaron Williams, who is best known for penning easygoing fare, such as The Nodwick Chronicles and PS 238. Naturally, he has trouble tackling a full-fledged horror narrative. The story harkens to a darker, countrified Buffy the Vampire Slayer or for a stretch: Evil Dead: Cowboy Edition. One girl named Alisha is seemingly set-up in direct oppostion to the gathering darkness but nothing truly evolves, aside from a shadowy witch mentor appearing in the first segment.

Williams is better at depicting Conover’s small town life than building tension. And his humorous lines trail off in the second chapter, An’ the World Was Law. Artist Fiona Staples (Secret History of the Authority: Hawksmoor) is a perfect choice for the material though. Her sketch-like lines and water color pigments ably depict tentacled monsters, flying demons and soul-sucking zombies in Issue #1, Now Entering Conover County. It’s just a shame she has to pick up William’s slack so much. He checks off plotlines like items on a grocery list (especially in Issue #1). Instead of slowly unfurling the transformation of a normal human into a truck-throwing giant, he cuts across town to something less interesting. This happens far too many times to forgive. Overall, North 40 is a great concept that’s ripe for drama but too poorly executed to draw you in. You know you have a problem when a comic’s behind-the-scenes blog is more exciting to read than the actual comic. (www.dccomics.com/wildstorm)

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