Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Clean Room #1
Vertigo (DC) Comics
Simone & Davis-Hunt
Gail Simone makes her Vertigo debut with a good first issue, in what looks to be a series to watch. The concept of the book is a mix between an oppressive cult and the super-natural, as the main character investigates how a book may have played a role in the death of her fiancé. The comic provides stellar art and solid character work, but doesn't shy away from some perplexing ideas and disturbing images. This is a comic book to check out.
The comic opens with what appears to be a horrific accident involving a little girl. However, we soon learn that there is more at work here than a physical injury to the child. The kid seems to see something that others can’t see, including the reader.
The book jumps over to the main character, Chloe. After a failed suicide attempt we learn that her fiancé took his own life shortly after reading a book. This book then becomes Chloe's drive to live. She wants to know what the author is up to and how a book could create such a cloud around a person. Chloe appears to be in over her head.
Simone has a knack for writing smart dialogue while building up these character's personalities. The comic has some interesting ideas, but the character work is what drives this comic book. Page after page the story gets more interesting and unpredictable.
The comic has a nice flow to it as the details are placed out for the reader in mini-mysteries. The reader needs to work a little bit to get a payoff, while the comic gives a larger scope for the overall mystery that will keep the reader coming back for more. I liked the way this comic was constructed.
The artwork is very detailed and brightly colored, which is not usually something seen in a Vertigo book. The comic has two images that will stick with the reader. The monster that the little girl sees in the opening pages is something out of Lovecraft and it leaves quite an impression. However, the suicide remnants of Chloe's fiancé are downright chilling. This comic book looks great and gives a strong presence that might outshine the story.
"Clean Room" marks the first ongoing Gail Simone series at Vertigo and it is off to a great start. Simone introduces a cache of interesting and well-defined characters while setting the stage for a super-natural story that cloaks itself in a religious cult. The comic provides some detailed pencils that hit the mark particularly well in two terrifying images. Overall, this is a fun, but in a chilling way, read. "Clean Room" is not a comic book to pass on.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
