Briggs Land #1 –
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Mack Chater
Colors by Lee Loughridge
Letters by Nate Piekos
Cover by Tula Lotay
Would you live life by your own rules, if you could? Outside of society and government, going the way of the separatist. Dark Horse gives you a look inside that world with the Briggs family in Briggs Land. Let’s find out if this story stands on it’s own, or is more Branch Davidian.
We start out with the husband, who is the head of the family, and the wife who is hardly seen as the second in command. The book does a very good job of explaining who is in the Briggs family, what their role is and the history of the compound itself. Turns out, racism and white supremacy is barely scratching the surface with this group. Something happens at the beginning of the issue that immediately changes the dynamic and creates a tension that seemingly lasts throughout the issue. As is always the case, the government is hot on their trail, but not ready to make a move. It’s hard to explain too much of what is going on without going into major spoiler territory, but trust becomes a big issue in the Briggs family because of events that unfold throughout the issue. Grace Briggs really takes the brunt of it, and you get the sense that some changes may be coming. Something happens at the end of this issue that really keeps you guessing, and certainly raises debate as to what strings are being pulled by who.
Brian Wood does a masterful job of keeping the tension up in this issue, while slowly introducing all of the main players in the story. When you have that many characters you need to bring into one issue, a lot of times it can feel jumbled. Television gives you 30 minutes to an hour to do this, and Wood executed it flawlessly in less than 30 pages. The art by Chater is gritty and fits the style of the book, while the color by Loughridge really seems to set the mood for every scene. This story really sets itself apart and really makes you want to care about a group of people that are, essentially, bad people. I have a a feeling that, as we start to peel the layers a bit more, there will be way more to it than just that. I’m very excited to see how this story continues to separate itself from the normal crime family drama.
RATING: PULL