By Cat Wyatt
What immediately drew my attention to Asylum was the stunning cover. Have you ever taken a moment to browse through art history covers? I have, and this one immediately reminded me of a painting in the Romanticism Art Movement. Which is something I’ve never really seen applied to a graphic novel cover before. It’s hard to pass something so unique up.
Before I go any farther, I would like to state that the art style of the cover and the art style inside are different (the author illustrates everything inside, but has another author do the cover, which is pretty common). I still enjoyed the art style for the main comic, and there are even similarities between the two styles, so there is still a sense of cohesion between the two.
There’s quite a bit going on inside Asylum. As one reads the story, it becomes more and more apparent that there are two realities, two stories, existing side by side. Based on the title, it’s easy to assume which one is real and which one is a ‘fantasy,’ but I’m actually not so sure that it’s so clear-cut as that. I believe the author has a very specific story to tell, and it isn’t one of a patient’s fantastical attempts to escape the horrors of their life through daydreams.
Our story starts out with the main character, Evie, waking up inside a derelict building; sounds like a pretty typical start to a fantasy telling, no? Well, think again. There’s a pretty big twist at the beginning of Evie’s tale; she wakes up while tied up in what is clearly a straitjacket. An influence from the other reality? Probably.
Apparently in this world, there are two types of people, the family (those that are considered to be perfected versions of their father’s vision), and the castoffs (their title pretty much sums it up). Evie is of the former, while our other main character, Taran, is of the latter. Seeing these two characters interact helped to show the established biases in this world, as well as the blatant inequality.
The ‘family’ that Evie is a part of is everything one could expect from a religious (and by that I mean of the fanatical sort) upper class. They’re convinced of their superiority, think nothing of those whom they consider below them. What is really intriguing about them is the regalia they wear – or formal clothing. Apparently it becomes part of their body, while still acting as armor. What I loved about this element was the subtle (in most cases) tie in to the strait jackets seen earlier.
Each member of the family holds a title such as ‘father’s eyes’ or ‘father’s hands’ which is just all sorts of creepy. I’m hoping this isn’t a literal implication, because that would certainly bring it beyond the realm of disturbing. They also all have their own sort of powers, for lack of a better description. I’m assuming there’s a connection between their titles (and thus duties) and their abilities. Evie is a healer, and since she didn’t stick around with the family I am unable to say for certain what role she would have ended up playing for them (though Evie is convinced that she would have ended up a murderer, so I can’t really blame her for running).
I love the particular stylistic choices they made for how Evie heals. Unlike the more common and traditional healers we see in so many different forms of media, Evie absorbs the wounds of those she touches, taking the wound (or illness) upon herself. This sounds like an awful idea, and it probably would be, if not for her Wolverine levels of regenerations (okay, I don’t actually know if hers could compete against Wolverine, it’s just a cool comparison to make).
The other reality is a lot more mundane…and significantly more depressing. Evie is in an asylum (thus the name of the series, naturally), as are all of the other characters we’ve seen. Some are other patients; some are the psychologists and wardens. I’m sure the implication is that this is the ‘real’ world while the other is the ‘fantasy’ and made up world. I’m still not convinced this is actually the case, but until I have further proof to refute it, I can’t say for certain.
I feel like the balance between the two realities shown is a little skewed for the moment, with more focus being granted to the fantasy world. In truth I find that to be the more compelling version, so I’m alright with this. However I anticipate we’ll be seeing more of both worlds in future volumes.
I believe this story has a lot of potential, and while I have many theories about what is actually going on, I can’t really say anything for certain at the moment. There are clearly ties between the two realities, and the author has done a good job at creating as many of those as possible. What is less clear is the how and why for their connection.
The artwork is interesting; I can neither describe it as simple or as intricate. It seems to bounce back and forth between the two. The base forms are on the simpler side, but the artist was unafraid of embellishing what was already there. Sometimes this is beneficial (such as for the padding in the cell Evie is in), and other times I felt it took away from the story (such as the tattoos for the family).
Score: 4/5
Asylum vol. 1: New Born
Author: Gabriel Moore-Topazio
Illustrator: Gabriel Moore-Topazio
Publisher: Wrought Comics