Publisher:  IDW Publishing
Writer:  Joe Halpin, Sr.
Artist:  Juanfrancisco Moyano
Release Date: 16th July 2014

Purgatory has always been a fascinating concept to me, being trapped in some other dimension where neither God or the Devil exist. I’d like to think of Purgatory as an elevator with no floors or stops, it just goes up and down and up and down with the same Celine Dion music playing in the background over and over again. . But Gateway opens up a new take on purgatory and where we go after we die

The story is set in two different places, Hope Town and Freedom Town. Hope Town is very democratic and organised with an council and patrol guards to keep everyone in line. If people fall out of line or feel threatened by them then you are kicked out and not welcome back. Freedom town is the complete opposite. It’s a violent and disgusting wasteland where everyone from thieves, to murderers and prostitutes end up. People do what they want, when they want. What is interesting to me is how Hope Town is run and who is allowed to stay and who gets kicked out. This is seen by one of the side characters Jessica. After seeing the scars on her wrist the guards throw her out of Hope Town due to her self harming and possible suicidal tendencies. It highlights the idea that although purgatory is a place to be judged, you are still judges by those in purgatory itself. It’s safe to assume that those who stay in Hope Town believe they have a better chance at salvation than those in Freedom Town, dividing the world into it’s own Heaven and Hell.

At the centre of it all is Jake Ryan, an ex-cop who died in a shooting during a drug bust. Jake is not convinced that people are being told everything they should be by Hope Town and sets off to Freedom Town for more answers. As he uncovers the truth of this world he is also on a quest of redemption from the daemons who haunt his past. Having been a cop Jake is very strong minded and doesn’t let himself be manipulated by scare tactics or anything that tries to make the people feel safe. However he can be very arrogant and close minded and quick to react to violence to get his answers. But as we uncover more from his past we start to see more of how he became this way and why he prefers to work alone.

Gateway is not like any story I’ve read before, it is dark and gritty with a fresh look into a concept that has been done to death and done badly in the past (I’m looking at you RIPD!). Purgatory is very much grounded in reality and it can been seen in the art style. The darkened skyline and ruined landscape looks like something out of Resident Evil and fits the tone of Freedom Town perfectly. The firs volume has a lot to offer with the makings of being a great series, I’d definitely recommend you check it out.

Rating: 4/5.

The writer of this piece was: Dean Walsh