Review – Amazing Forest #1 (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer(s): Ulises Farinas, Erick Freitas
Artist(s): Julien Dufour, Matt Rota, Melody Often, Yumi Sakugawa
Release Date: 20th January, 2016

Something akin to The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, or Tales From the Crypt, Amazing Forest is an anthology of four short stories by Erick Freitas and Ulises Farinas, each featuring a different artist, and its own bizarre, and in some cases, decidedly dark twist.

Although stylistically there is no obvious connection between each story, there are a number of themes (mostly concerning family relationships), and repeated tropes (post-apocalyptic setting, a person trapped within another body or shell, etc.) that form a loose connective tissue between the four. There might be some greater overarching connection; for example, the entire book being the fantasies of an overactive and warped imagination (something hinted at in Paul Chadwick’s variant cover), but that’s something the creators will be best placed to answer.

The opening story, Tank, is set in the aftermath of an alien invasion where humans roam the barren wastes in gargantuan military vehicles to protect themselves from disease. It centres on a scientist alienated from his co-inhabitants, who yearns to be reunited with his wife and son, although knowing them to be alien doppelgangers. Strongest in terms of its combination of art and story, it sets a harrowing tone for the issue, with Julien Dafour’s artwork the standout of the issue.

Wolf Mother is the story of child separated from his mother after an apocalyptic battle between werewolves and men, and features a truly brilliant twist ending. Matt Rota’s clever framing, and particular choice of image take on an added significance second time through, completely transforming the story, and it’s one you’ll definitely want to read more than once.

Ronnie the Robot is the subject of Ulises Farinas’ hyper-detailed cover, and centres on a soldier housed within a robotic exoskeleton thought lost in a futuristic war, who inexplicably returns home to his family. The world in which it’s set immediately brought ‘Fallout’ to mind, and it’s one I would have liked to see expanded upon. My only minor gripe was that the fantastic cover art by Farinas was not continued into story, although Melody Often does a solid job on that score.

The Bird Watcher can be seen as a cautionary tale about balancing priorities in our lives, and is perhaps the deepest of the four from that perspective. Written as a study of the lead character, it shows how his own selfish desires, inability to accept the complexities of life, and refusal to accept responsibility for those faults leads to a breakdown of his relationship, leading to a life of loss and regret. Although not my preferred style, Yumi Sakugawa’s awkward, almost expressionist art perfectly suits the character, with the busy backgrounds providing a nice contrast to emphasise the ‘simple’ nature of the central character.

Short, but far from sweet, this collection of bleak fables is clearly the product of twisted imaginations, and it’s dark sensibilities will surely captivate those of a similar mind.

Rating: 3.5/5.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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