Bliss #1 Review

Writer: Sean Lewis

Artist: Caitlin Yarsky

Rating: 6 of 8

Bliss #1

 

Is there any limit to what we'd do for family? That's a question Damian Benton is faced with, though the answer is decidedly clear. He and his wife have a sick child to look after, a boy so unwell he needs to constantly stay in hospital. It's not clear exactly what's wrong with him and though I would've liked if it was, it still works as a catalyst for Benton's dark deeds.

Lewis does a great job establishing just how sordid Feral City really is, reminding me of Gotham in it's constant nastiness and ever present threat of danger. It's a place so unsafe, you can't even walk home without being best by danger. In a very effective scene, Damian walks the hospital halls and, as he does, we get a look into the rooms, giving us a glimpse into just how nasty this city really is. 

Though even the nastiest cities have places that put the rest to shame. For Gotham, it's the Suicide Slums, while here it's Docktown, a place filled with drink, prostitution and even a hand in ending it all - for the right price. But for Damian, it's just the right kind of nasty to make things better for his son. It's here he gets the chance to save his boy. This scene works well for a few reasons. It helps illustrate just how desperate he is, while still being split over whether or not he can do what he needs to.

It also gives us a glimpse into an unearthly side of this city. Something dark, twisted and so very tempting. A great deal of this is because of Yarsky's art, which helps make these beings look truly monstrous. She makes them all really distinct, with one looking smaller, shriveled, while the others are so large, cows would be envious. The world bursts with life, with Yarsky giving the people a large range of emotion. She also fills the above scene - and a later one - with a sense of scale, as well as a great deal of light and darkness.

Overall, a very good 1st issue. Though I would've liked to have known just what ailed their son, it's not important to the overall story. While this issue didn't show us much of Benton's dark deeds, hopefully future ones give us more of that and the threat the ending hints at. For those looking for a well realized dark world, I'd heartily recommend some Bliss.