(This review originally appeared in the September/October 1999 issue of Prism, the newsletter of the British Fantasy Society.)
Written & pencilled by Paul Chadwick, inked by Ron Randall
Dark Horse Comics, $2.50 each US
Fifteen years ago, a mysterious mechanical 'flyer' emerged from a sinkhole in rural America. Acquiring it, Charles Hoy used the technology of this creature to establish an electronics empire. Now, a decade and a half later, Hoy's company has reached a dead end In the hopes of a quick fix, Hoy has sent a team of six explorers down the sinkhole, into a bizarre, unexplored subterranean world, in the hopes that they will return with new technology for his company to exploit.
Such is the premise of Paul Chadwick's new monthly comic book. The theme of explorers venturing into a world below the Earth is hardly unique, but the fun here is in the execution, as Chadwick takes a staple of pulp sci-fi and puts his own spin upon it. The comic is at least a partial homage to the science fiction literature of the first half of the twentieth century. In the first issue, one of the six explorers, witnessing the wonders of this extraordinary world, vividly recalls a summer spent reading old Jack Vance paperbacks at his grandparents house.
Chadwick's stories are an interesting blend of such old-style pulp fiction and more modern characterization. Notwithstanding Charles Hoy's talk of his team being heroic, intrepid adventurers, heroes even, Chadwick recognizes the reality of his characters. In the letter column of issue #3, Chadwick describes the six thus: "They're really just flawed, basically decent people, recruited haphazardly, and poorly prepared for what they'll face." So, despite the absurdly fantastic settings and situations of the stories, the characters themselves are firmly grounded in reality. These six may be exploring strange, alien environments, but they are not immune to petty squabbling, experiencing self-doubt, and having wildly divergent personal goals. Most significantly, the teams reason for being is not the broadening of human knowledge, not the exploration of the unknown, but the advancement of a millionaire's capitalist agenda.
Chadwick has chosen to keep each issue of The World Below relative self-contained. Given the plethora of overlong multi-part story arcs the comics industry has seen in the last decade, it is refreshing to read a series that attempts to tell a complete story in each issue.
If there is a flaw to the book, it is that the six characters are rather one-dimensional, although Chadwick is slowly building upon their individual backgrounds as the series progresses. Another problem is that the six seem to take the incredible spectacles of the subterranean world in their stride, rather than expressing a sense of wonder or excitement.
Chadwick seems concerned, first and foremost, with entertaining the reader, as well as having as much fun himself writing and drawing this series. In both these goals he appears to be succeeding. From both the contents of the book and his editorial comments, Chadwick is clearly approaching this project with an energy seldom seen in today's comic book market. He has let his imagination go wild, creating uncanny, fantastic, and often quite grotesque creatures to menace his team of explorers. Chadwick's enthusiasm is infectious, easily drawing the reader into this bizarre creation.
Despite a few shortcomings, The World Below certainly succeeds in its primary capacity, as a fun, entertaining read.