From acclaimed writer Si Spurrier (Coda, John Constantine: Hellblazer) and singular artist Vanesa R. Del Rey (Redlands) comes a fever dream of a crime story with The Voice Said Kill #1. Featuring colors by John Starr and lettering from Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, this debut chapter is tense, striking opening to this genre-bending crime mini-series. With a creative script and arresting visual work, this is undoubtedly one of the coolest debut issues of the year so far.
“The wet heat of the Louisiana bayou.
Alligator poachers prowl the mudbug mire.
A park ranger, heavily pregnant, raises a hateful mug of moonshine with a criminal matriarch.
And one deadly sonuvabitch, out of his mind on shrooms and retribution, loads his rifle for the Human Hunt and screams down the stars.”
Writing & Plot
Few writers nail feverish insanity while still telling a grounded story like Si Spurrier, and he showcases his skills once more with The Voice Said Kill #1. Right out of the gate, the Hellblazer writer throws readers into the heat of the bayou and the ravings of an unhinged gunman, right before grounding things with the perspective of the main protagonist. Sergeant Marie Burgau is left alone in a remote wildlife outpost to contend with not only the basics of her job, but the machinations of a local crime boss. Also, she’s heavily pregnant – though this doesn’t impact her character as much as it increases the tension felt throughout the story. This tension is due to a traumatized, hallucinating madman with a rifle running loose in the Bayou, while Sgt. Burgau is the only one around to contend with him. As the details around the characters and the relationship between the madman and the crime boss is revealed, the core character conflict is revealed and the proper crime story elements come into play. The real star in this script is Spurrier’s varied, rich writing style. His focus on deep southern colloquialisms and Cajun language firmly plants readers in the setting, while the hazy, confused narration keeps the story feeling off-kilter. One of the main themes this comic contends with is how concepts like criminal justice and infrastructure don’t exist in the same degree in these remote, contested places as they do in more populated areas. As soon as the book’s main conflict is revealed, the tension refuses to let up since our protagonist can’t receive any aid for what’s she’s contending with. Spurrier’s writing builds both atmosphere and conflict with an expert hand, making this opening issue a taut reading experience.
Art Direction
As great as Spurrier’s script is, it’s Vanesa Del Rey’s visual work that makes The Voice Said Kill #1 stand out so much as a comic. Her chaotic yet detailed penciling lends both humanity and entropy to the reading experience. The bayou feels suffocatingly hot and oppressive thanks to both Del Rey’s environmental design and sequential direction. Every sequence in this comic is memorable, but the showdown/conversation between the crime boss and Sgt. Burgau is especially notable due to how Del Rey frames both characters. Every person feels like a real human character, but the moonshine boss and the gun-toting madman have that something in their eyes that makes them feel more primal. Del Rey’s sequential direction also carries the story along at a slow, thoughtful pace that ratchets up the intensity of the story as it continues into the final showdown. The atmosphere of The Voice Said Kill is completed by John Starr’s wild use of colors. The fever dream elements of this comic come largely from his use of watercolor-esque tones that bleed into each other in every image. When combined with Del Rey’s textured linework, the overall experience feels hallucinatory while still being easy to follow. Finally, Hasan Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering is a star all on its own in this issue. His visibly hand drawn dialogue shifts in shape and size to reflect the tone of the speaker in a way that’s seldom seen in comics, making Spurrier’s dialogue feel like its rattling off in your head as you read. His SFX work is also on another level, using textured styles that emulate the soundwaves you’d imagine screams and gunshots would make. Overall, The Voice Said Kill storms out of the gate with one of the best visual presentations in the medium this year.
Verdict
The Voice Said Kill #1 is a tour de force of mad comics talent. Si Spurrier’s script blends feverish madness with genuine humanity and character, all while constantly upping the stakes within this issue’s narrative. The visuals from Vanesa Del Rey and John Starr bring this fever dream vision of a contested, isolated space to life in a mire of sweat, foliage, and blood. Be sure to grab one of the best debut issues of the year when it hits shelves on July 23rd!