To Brits of a certain age, children's television drama means only one thing: abject terror. And I don't mean Teletubbies. For some reason, television producers felt that dark tales of horror and the supernatural were appropriate kids' fare. These programmes usually involved a young protagonist or two moving to a new and remote area where they'd encounter mundane trials such as grumpy aunts or sinister woodsmen, only to inevitably discover something far more creepy, and usually supernatural, going on. The best ones were far more frightening than a children's television show had any right to be, but of course, we lapped up the ancient terrors of Children of the Stones or the sci-fi lesbian Nazis* of Dark Season.

All of which near-irrelevancy brings me to Tony McGee's Outcastes. While not aimed at children (indeed, the latter half of this issue could be considered to be a bit grim), it has that haunting feel, a period setting, and the all-important young protagonists, all of which makes it a worthy successor to those television programmes of old. McGee is a dab hand at creating mystery and unease, and kicks things off with an immediately compelling mystery as the presumably titular twins emerge, dumb and amnesiac, from a cave and tumble almost immediately into one of those genre appropriate draconian orphanages, where Things Are More Than They Seem. Clearly the twins are different in some way, but the exact details of their abilities and origins remain shrouded, and that enigma drives the plot. The characterisation is also strong throughout, with the twins' new friend/sidekick "Geo" coming across particularly well, a sympathetic presence among all the strange goings-on and even stranger people (although even he has his mysteries).

I've long been envious of McGee's black and white art, and Outcastes is no different, displaying a stark and effective contrast between the organic linework and deep shadows, and well chosen areas of flat white. It's a superficially simple approach, but there's plenty of detail when appropriate (McGee draws wonderful trees, for example), and the big patches of light and dark reinforce the eerie feel of the story. The line work shies away from exaggeration and figures are rounded and realistic; if you see a freakish waif in a Tony McGee title, it's because they're supposed to be like that. I'm not sure about the unlined white gutters though; there may be a reason behind it, but if so it's not immediately apparent and the result is somewhat distracting, as if the page is incomplete and lacking in structure.

Minor flaws aside, this is a very strong debut issue. I've been a fan of McGee's comics since I read the brilliant and thoughtful science fiction epic Frontiers, and this new title promises to be a similarly strong effort; the writer/artist has a natural aptitude for slow-burning, character-driven mysteries, and Outcastes definitely plays to those strengths.

Note: While it hasn't contributed to the score, I think it's worth mentioning McGee's decision to offer the comic in both print and digital versions. I'm not prepared to take a side in the paper/digital debate just yet**, but I am fond of the .cbr file format, and I'm pleased to see more comic creators making use of it. For more information on the format, take a look at the CDisplay page at: http://www.geocities.com/davidayton/CDisplay.

* I am not making this up. While the US got Taz-Mania, we had proto-Hellboy.
** Although the "can't read your laptop on the toilet" argument is certainly compelling.

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