Under the Flesh #1 (A Kickstarter Project)
Created and Written: G. Deltres
Illustrated: J.L. Giles
When I was told this new upstart comic was like a cross between The Walking Dead, Crossed and Y: The Last Man, I knew I had to read it. Any time you create a book with an apocalyptic event, its tough to set yourself apart from the crowd. Under the Flesh does this by joining several popular themes into one gruesome story, and all in the first issue! We start this comic by being immediately tossed into the downfall of a lawful society. This is described to us with very elaborate and detailed writing. The metaphors that are used are poetic yet shocking as the writer is able to let you know the state of the world with exact and beautiful detail (Beautiful in the sense that in few words you know everything).
The art of this book is something that hits you hard to support the idea that the world is coming to an end. This is not a cartoon, nor is it an artistic piece of fine art. It is a graphic illustration that coincides with the story; a world wide virus (that turns the victim into flesh eaters) that target the male population. The title of the comic comes from the harsh but true statement that the virus strips away humanity to reveal the sickness Under the Flesh. It is not just the spooks (as they are referred to) that are horrific, the survivors seem to be more evolved in their brutality than other comics in this genre. It is oddly refreshing to see new ideas from merciless survivors.
I can’t believe that in such a short experience this comic was able to combine three of my favorite comic tropes; the collapse of society from a plague and the rebuilding of that society, the hope of all the human race rests on the shoulder of one man, and the horrible nature of humans that is set free from a virus. If the apocalypse theme doesn’t keep your interest, the drama of one sane man and a horde of women sharing a confined space is enough to fill a season on television. Ruben Lobos is our hero; a genetically engineered solider who was created to either save humanity or cover up it’s mistakes. I’m interested to see the way this one turns out and hope Ruben learns his true potential and if he can save the world.
*Review by Corey Anderson
To contribute to this Kickstart Project or for more information please visit:
https://www.kickstarter.com/
www.undertheflesh.com
@Under_TheFlesh