Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Ben Templesmith
Image Comics

There’s an image in the first issue of Fell that sears itself into your memory, regardless of whether you want it there or not. A man walks down a street at night, we know he’s a cop and he sees a nun, holding a gun, wearing what looks to be a Richard Nixon mask. The entire sequence had an eerie, sinister edge to it as we are shown exactly what kind of town Snowtown is – welcome to the world of Richard Fell.

In an age where stories are frequently written in five to six part arcs to fit a collection, it’s rare to find complete stories. It’s rarer still that a complete tale is told in less than the standard 22 page format. Ellis spurns this and opts for 16 pages. Nor does he tell simple tales either. No, in the 16 pages of an issue of Fell, Ellis redefines the possible and impossible that narrative normally adheres to. Yes, you can tell a story in 16 pages and not have it be lacking in depth. In collaboration with Templesmith, whose unique art style brings these stories to life and has to convey images like the one described above, the result is a stunning comic.

By any rights Fell should be a maudlin, depressing book: Snowtown is a pit of a place where no one cares about anyone, no one seems to do much, the police don’t care and neither do the politicians. Just ignore it for long enough and Snowtown will go away is the de facto view. The stories swirl around the acts of Fell, he is the centre of each story and it’s Fell that makes the story worth reading. It’s Fell who refuses to accept the status quo, refuses the notion that nothing matters or that law is worthless. Whether it’s ensuring people get their just desert, regardless of if that involves the law sometimes or defying his apathetic superiors, Fell is a magnet for the reader’s attention.

This latest issue sees Fell having to attend to a hostage crisis. Well that’s not quite right - he has to once he’s conned his boss into giving him the job. At the situation, an inventive exchange takes place as he talks to the gunman whilst drawing a mental picture of him. It’s that mental picture that Templesmith conveys visually as the exchange goes on. Opting for stick drawing, Templesmith ensures the sequence has our attention – at first it’s confusing, but then you grasp the intended effect.

And the story? These are primarily mystery stories so it would not be fitting to reveal too much of the resolution except that everyone gets what they deserve. It’s been said that the writing of Waren Ellis is sometimes shot through with streaks of idealism and cynicism in equal measure. Fell is a good example of this, as with each issue we’re plunged into the hell of Snowtown, a dark, dark world with no hope of improvement or redemption, with Richard Fell as our only guide through it all and possibly, a singular light against that darkness that somehow balances it all out.

If you’re still wondering if this is for you, buy an issue. The other reason Ellis opts for a 16-pager is to lower the cost which makes it easier for people to try it out, so how about it? It’ll only cost you just over a pound and what else can you buy for the same price these days that’ll be as entertaining?

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