The Unveiling Book 1, Part 1: Escape from Babel is a comic written by Andy Barrett with art by Tanmoy Das with colors by Chandran Ponnusamy. A major political and societal division occurs when numbers start appearing on people’s foreheads, this leads to major scientific advancements and Biblical-like persecution. This is a supernatural science fiction dystopian comic with heavy multi-level drama, gruesome violence, dark religious mystery, and a very large cast. There are a number of prominent characters here: Harrison and his daughter Isabella who are searching for her mom, Lou Redimere is the lead scientist on the United States’ Latchkey project who wants to save her son, Auditor Vidock hunts the Unmarked and is specifically looking for Harrison, and The Sovereign(President) and his brutal second Garth. This story begins with Vidock and Agent Louis surveilling a couple they suspect of being Unmarked. After an argument between the pair the story then shifts to Harrison and Isabelle as they drive through the desert headed towards Area 51. We then see The Sovereign hold a press conference that strikes fear into Lou and her fellow scientists’ hearts. This takes place in a world where numbers appear on people’s foreheads which supposedly translates to the level of Hell you are destined to go to, but someone unmarked will take your place. If the number appeared on their heads naturally they are called “Eternized”, if it was placed there by someone they are said to be “Demonized”; they are also effectively immortal as they can die but they revive a short while after with no persisting damage. The violence here can be hard-hitting and gruesome with a lot of blood and some gore. This moves at an overall slower pace as there are heavy conversations and a lot to take in visually. The tone here is like that of an end times Christian movie with the same level of dystopia and fear. This is very dramatically intense as the tension is high at all times and the violence is heavy and frequently shocking. The dialogue is very conversational with heavy back-and-forth centered on technical talk, political jargon, relationships, and spirituality. There are at least a few word-heavy pages. This is an intriguing and tense debut issue that focuses on showcasing this new dystopian society and how the different characters scheme, maneuver and violently fight both for and against it.
The art here is drawn in a detailed modern 90’s/early 2000’s comic style with very light cartoonishness and notable shading. The color palette is realistic with a lot of lab coats, white shirts, and dark suits aplenty. This takes place in a number of different states like North Dakata and Nevada with their natural scenery like thick forests and open desert being showcased. Locations are constantly shifting from the White House to government facilities to hospitals. There are even diners, homes, and many methods of transportation. Backgrounds consistently show the actual surroundings whether that’s furniture, nature, or other people. The expression level here is high and realistic as most of the reactions here are what the average person would have in these situations. Anger and rage are common emotions here along with fear, shock, some sadness, and plenty happiness, though it is usually malevolent. Faces tend to have detail ranging from average to above-average with them sometimes getting a bit animated due to the slight cartoonish element; this results in both the overt and subtle expression usually being clear. Firearms are the primary weapon here with a couple blunt objects and plenty physicality. The violence can be very gruesome with brains and guts being shown and a lot of thick-looking blood. Action scenes frequently come in short, 1-2 page bursts with a good flow, variety of angles, and a gritty vibe.
“Is this worth reading?”
Yes, if this is up your alley.
“Would I like this?”
If you like supernatural science fiction dystopian stories that star characters of different races, genders, and occupations and featuring heavy political drama, rigid societal expectations, gory violence, and religious mystery then this is for you.
“What would this comic’s film rating be?”
R. Violence, blood, gore, gruesomeness, nudity.
“Could I get a quote from the comic?”
“The choice is eternal happiness together or eternal suffering apart!”
GlobalComix Link: https://globalcomix.com/read/9a2c1363-0ffd-41e6-acc2-1dd73b0b4f0b/1
***** I received this review copy for free. *****
***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***
Probably Contains Spoilers
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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 88
Violent Pages: 23, for 26% of the comic
Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic
**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**
Violence Level – 3
“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”
“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”
“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”
“This was a tournament arc.”
“All my life I had to fight.”
Gore Level – 5
“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”
“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”
“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”
“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”
“This is a slaughterhouse.”
Death Level – 3
“And everybody lived happily ever after.”
“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”
“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”
“Yeah this was a tragedy.”
“Think Gettysburg.”
Porn Level – 3
“Everybody kept their clothes on.”
“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”
“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”
“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”
“Oh. This is porn.”
