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A Vicious Circle #1
- Writer:
- Mattson Tomlin
- Artist:
- Lee Bermejo
- Letterer:
- Becca Carey
- Cover Artist:
- Lee Bermejo
- Publisher:
- BOOM! Studios
- Price:
- $9.99
- Release Date:
- 2022-12-14
- Colorist:
- Lee Bermejo
Sometimes, the industry needs a fresh reminder of why some stories can only be told with comics. BOOM! Studios' A Vicious Circle #1 -- by writer Mattson Tomlin, artist Lee Bermejo, and letterer Becca Carey -- is the first part of a three-issue limited series that aims to push the boundaries of possibility in the medium. The book takes the time-traveling concept in an exciting and unexpected direction.
The story kicks off in the South during the period of the Jim Crow laws. Shawn Thacker fights against the racist laws plaguing him, his family, and his friends. However, Shawn also has a secret in his basement: a foe named Ferris. It doesn't take too long to discover Shawn and Ferris are two time travelers. Every death they cause changes the world and catapults them into different eras. It appears as if these two men are doomed to do the time warp for all eternity here.
Tomlin's concept is like the perfect combination of Demolition Man and Looper. At the same time, the story hasn't revealed all its cards yet. There's more to the relationship between Shawn and Ferris than meets the eye, and readers have only begun to scratch the surface of what's going on here. Like any good story laced with intrigue, Tomlin keeps the action moving at a fast pace. Tomlin is more than adept at letting the art tell the story rather than cluttering up the panels with too many captions or dialogue. Considering he is working with an artist of Bermejo's caliber and reputation, it proves to be a wise move, as the artist's designs are breathtaking to behold and will have readers gawking for a while before flipping to the next page.
A Vicious Circle #1 wouldn't work as well as it does without Bermejo's artistic ingenuity. Many fans may be familiar with the artist's hyper-realistic style in books such as Joker and Batman: Dear Detective. He brings the same approach to parts of the book but challenges himself by implementing different art styles to showcase the changing time periods. It's remarkable to consider this is all the work of one artist who is drawing, inking, and coloring in so many diverse styles. Perhaps Bermejo is also from the future and leaping back and forth in time like the characters from the story.
What's clear from the art and design of A Vicious Circle #1 is that no corners have been cut. Every detail -- from the creases of a pillowcase to the flickering lights of a skyscraper -- is included here, pulling the reader into a whole new reality. Even the colors morph with the time periods. Bermejo utilizes black and white to symbolize the poignancy of a specific era, then leaps to a cyberpunk palette for the futuristic elements and chooses a painterly style for the moments in the distant past. It's a smorgasbord of styles and colors, but it never clashes. Each style complements the next.
Considering Tomlin and Bermejo's previous work, it should be no surprise that they have created one of the most innovative comic books of the year. They dare to be different, take maximum risks, and utilize the medium to its full potential here. A Vicious Circle #1 is the kind of story that every diehard comic book fan needs in their collection asap.