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Undergrowth is an extremely smart blend of fantasy, big robots, and utopian mystery that is the latest endeavor by writer Ricky Lima and artist Daniele Aquilani.
The story takes place on a fictional planet where the inhabitants, for the most part, live and play quite freely. It is slowly revealed that the behaviour of the children, as with most real-world communities, is monitored and governed by the ‘Elders’ of the community. It is also established early on that emotional reactions must remain in check lest an outburst result in the angering of gigantic element devouring beings, (which characters in the book refer to as ‘Monsters’) who also inhabit the planet. Like all good fear instilling morality tales, this wisdom is imparted from one generation to the next by word-of-mouth or storytelling, and this is how the first issue begins.
The independent market is ripe with so many self-published offerings, and while the attempt to flesh out the ‘good ones’ is daunting, know that Undergrowth is 100% worth a look. Writer Lima has a natural, cut-to-the chase way of writing dialogue that creates a well paced cadence and a strong base for his cast of characters; instead of hindering the plot or creating visual clunkiness amongst the art, the words actually propel the action of the story, nourishing the reader in a way that even professional writers have trouble doing. Important information like the names of characters, the history of the Monsters, and perhaps the question of who is cheekiest of the group are sprinkled throughout the dialogue like a treasure hunt for the reader to discover. This is a welcome departure from the ‘info dump’ style of catchup that sequential superhero books have a hard time reconciling.
The spark that drives each character is clear and apparent, and while the writing truly triumphs, the accompanying art by Aquilani is able to keep up. As each character’s voice becomes clearer in the mind, everything is made visually complete with the choices Aquilani has made to individualize each of them. The artist’s loose visual style has a punk rock sensibility that is suited, and is often attributed to indie books, but it’s tighter than that. The artwork isn’t sloppy; the characters don’t share the same noses, and the expressions emote in a heightened way that suggest that the artist is well practised. While some of the movement and visual storytelling from panel to panel could use a more experienced eye to push it into further greatness, it is skilled enough as to make sure the visual storytelling is not confusing and remains readable.
As of writing this review, I have read the first four-issues of Undergrowth, but this review only covers the first. All are available for purchase digitally, which we highly recommend as the story gets much meatier!
You can purchase physical and digital copies online at www.limepressonline.com.
Please note that the first four issues were generously provided to the Comic Book Syndicate by the creators, but that in no way influenced this review :p
Stay safe, stay inside, and READ COMICS!
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