Review – Veil HC (Dark Horse/Turnaround)

February 4, 2015

2–3 minutes

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Toni Fejzula
Release Date: 22nd January, 2015 (UK)

Veil, a five-part horror drama series from Greg Rucka and Toni Fejzula, introduces us to a mysterious young woman who wakes up surrounded by rats in an abandoned subway station, unsure of who – or even what – she is. The story is kept relatively small, focusing on Veil herself and Dante, a young man who comes to her aid early on in the story. As the reality of her situation and origin is gradually peeled back, Veil finds herself forced to accept just what she truly is, and do whatever she can to obtain her freedom from Cormack, a sadistic black magic user with a vested interest in her survival.

The story itself is definitely something of a mixed bag. Starting strongly with a thoroughly impressive first issue, Veil rapidly descends into a somewhat generic, paint-by-numbers ‘demonic’ romp. The potential is undoubtedly there, but I think Rucka and Fejzula’s decision to make this a five-part series rather than a six-parter (or more) really hurt them in the end. The pacing over the first few issues is slow, gloriously methodical, steadily building up the sense of unease and unravelling the mystery piece by piece. However, by the end, things are whipping along at an almost frantic pace, with the unfortunate result that what should be an epic climax is over before it really has a chance to begin.

The one thing that really pushes Veil above the rest of the somewhat over-saturated ‘demon’ genre is Fejzula’s absolutely stunning artwork. Make no mistake folks, this is an absolutely gorgeous book to look at, and the first issue where Veil gradually adjusts to her disorientation at her new surroundings is pretty much flawless visual storytelling. Fejzula’s demonic character design throughout is absolutely top-notch, as is the depiction of the way the aforementioned demon dispatches some of its victims – one scene in particular featuring a shattering glass window is nothing short of jaw-dropping in its execution.

One of the main issues I had with the story – aside from the pacing issues I touched upon above – was my lack of any real reason to become invested in Dante as a character. Veil herself is a brilliantly complex creation, but Dante falls a little flatly into the role of one-dimensional “White Knight”. His relationship with Veil feels superficial at best – although her true origins may play a part in that – and while his courage and bravado is admirable, I just didn’t feel that bond between them; something that would have given the finale some much-needed punch.

Impressive in places, lacklustre in others, Veil is an undoubtedly intriguing read – but ultimately has to be seen as something of a missed opportunity. Rucka’s writing credentials can never be questioned, nor can Fejzula’s stunning artistic abilities, but something about this series didn’t quite ‘click’ like I hoped it would. Not a complete waste of time by any means, but far from an essential purchase.

Rating: 3/5.

INTERIOR ARTWORK
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