REVIEW: 'Verge' #1 by Bryce McLellan, Silvio Db, and Louie Joyce

 

VERGE #1

Writer: Bryce McLellan

Artist: Silvio Db, Louie Joyce

Letterer: Sean Rinehart

Publisher: Red 5 Comics

Release Date: September 29, 2021

Cover Price: $3.95

A mysterious time travel event known as the Verge had brought thousands of people from across all of history to New York City. Vikings, Samurai, Romans, Mayans, Cavemen, and thousands of others all live in a vast and turbulent melting pot. Connie Liu, an NYPD Detective, investigates the murder of three Samurai, a case that threatens to turn the divisions in the city into an all-out war.

Score:

★★★★★ (5/5)

'Verge' [not sure why it's not The Verge] #1 by Bryce McLellan, Silvio Db, and Louie Joyce from Red 5 Comics has a great premise. What if people including some of the greatest warriors in the history of the world arrived through time travel all at once and landed in New York City? That event is known as the Verge and now all of these refugees of time have to live together and assimilate to modern-day society. It's a chaotic melting pot of enormous proportions and keeping them in line is no easy task. Enter Detective Connie Liu, who has a special way of relating to each new old culture. The question remains, why did this happen?  

With so many different people from Vikings to Romans to Mayans to Samurai, it's inevitable for them to carve out their own neighborhoods leading to tribalism and uneasy alliances. This new world order keeps the police busy. The opening sequence is a clever twist on a police procedural when a Viking is accused of murder. Detective Liu plays to his ego and honor to get what she needs to close the case and we see just how smart and hardnosed she is. She's the perfect protagonist to guide the reader through this bizarro world. 

Artists Silvio Db and Louie Joyce bring this gritty, very urban, and congested New York to life. It's very reminiscent of Michael Lark's work on the excellent  'Gotham Central' series from DC Comics in the early 2000s. With sometimes scratchy linework, shadowy noir-infused settings, and a somewhat satirical take on life in one of the most diverse cities in the world, Silvio captures a world that isn't entirely fantasy in the way refugees are treated and seen. There are some funny bits in the double splash page that show how these historical figures are adjusting to life in the present. Everything from dating life to making rent is covered in the eavesdropping of these new residents in the speech bubbles provided by letterer Sean Rinehart during the hustle and bustle of a typical day. 

'Verge' is a clever and entertaining new series that brings historical people from throughout the world to present-day New York. It causes a myriad of issues that range from endearing to dangerous. At its center, 'Verge' is a crime thriller that shines with a dynamic character in Liu and world-building that is exciting and surprising. 'Verge' is a winner and deserves a spot in your pull-list.