Review Time...
Bridge Land,
Movie script turned comic book, Bridgeland, written by Marc R. D. Gibson and illustrated by Tristan Roach presents the experience and lingering effects of poverty and loss as told from an array of experiences.
That same under-bed of melancholy and strife intimated by the stories subject matter follows into the aesthetic of the comic also. The lack of colour throughout the comic enhances these elements, enforcing characters isolation in some scenes and emphasising their moments of joy. Each event in the comic and its consequences feels weightier in monochrome somehow, as though itt allows for deeper lows and more elevated highs.
Whats more is that certain scenes are entirely devoid of dialogue, focussing the readers attention on characters movements and expressions. Remorse, sadness, anger, frustration, are all emotions that are complimented and substantiated by the binary nature of the colour palette.
Though despite the palette of the comic, the story itself is filled with all the types of grey areas and complexities you might expect in the real world. The story becomes more engrossing and layered as it progresses, while characters are overwhelmed by their respective goals and interests. How the story deals with the dynamics between different groups is also something of interest, the exploitation of all the female characters by male ones and their expected subservience to men who’s own need to control propels them into muddier waters and more destructive behaviourism. The same can be said from a class perspective, the downtrodden are continuously exploited by those in positions of power and the corrupt system that they are forced to live under only ever seems proud of its corrupted nature. The concept that in any given crime there are two victims is something that the story deals with extremely well.
The simplicity of the art style feels brutal at times and it fits the story really well. The rigidity of the line work speaks to both the fragility and the indignation of the characters. You can see and feel these combative elements in a character become more present as the story progresses and each character kind of descends into an individualised madness.
From the beginning of the story we are thrown into a situation that feels tonally real. This sense of realism continues to evolve throughout the story but never becomes gratuitous or unnecessary despite the extreme severity and consequences of characters arcs. Though the story branches and meanders it also manages to stay its course and handles the intersection of individuals stories expertly. In fact I’d say that is the stories strongest point, its depiction of relationships, how they can grow, change. All in all, an awesome comic book, I recommend this highly!
