Fell #1
September 26, 2005 | Comics
Fell #1
Warren Ellis, Ben Templesmith
Image Comics
$2.40/$1.99 US
**** (out of five)
The only thing that beats getting a cool new comic is getting it cheap.
Fell, the brainchild of writing guru Warren Ellis, begins with the man its named after, Detective Richard Fell, transferring to the Snowtown Police Department — and quickly finding out what an odd place he’s in.
Fell’s new next-door neighbour is being hauled out in a body bag as the detective is moving in and the cute girl he met in the bar cuts herself for fun and burned the city’s unofficial logo into his neck — without asking.
As we quickly learn what makes Fell such a good detective, he begins to piece together the cause of his neighbour’s death and in a rare turn of events for modern comics, solves the crime by the end of the issue.
That, along with the discounted price, is kind of the point of Fell.
Ellis, in the postscript, explains that he wants to offer an alternative to the mainstream comic book story-arc structure by writing stand-alone stories that begin and end within the same month’s release.
Helping Ellis’ cause is talented Aussie artist Ben Templesmith, who breaks out of his vampire stereotypes (he illustrated the now-famous 30 Days Of Night) with a moody-yet-intense look.
Fell is a breath of fresh air that belongs among 2005’s top debuts.
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