Plot: The mystery behind the village of Strangehaven begins to unfold.
Isn't it great living in the countryside, the peace and quiet, the friendly people, the fresh air, the beautiful views, oh, and I nearly forgot, the ritualistic hangings performed by sinister cults? If that doesn't happen in your village you obviously don't live in Strangehaven, a quaint rural Dartmoor village which is as pleasant as any on the outside, but has a dark bloody underbelly.
Strangehaven tells the story of Alex who, fleeing a failed marriage, ends up trapped in an unusual village. The village has everything, thatched roof cottages, scenic views and a powerful secret society. To add to this, the place has a wide assortment of freaks from the psychotic headmaster to the man who thinks he's from outer space. The thing is he just might be.
You see, there's a lot of uncertainty you get when reading this, just when you think the book has settled down suddenly something weird happens. It is very much a book of contrasts in that way. In other ways too; the book focuses a lot on human relationships, particularly those of Alex, and at times would seem like a soap opera if it wasn't for the sinister overtones and suggestion of something really dark and menacing beneath the surface.
The mood is further enhanced by the atmospheric black and white artwork. This aspect of the title is superb, the art is really very clever and comprehensive and the artist manages to transcend words at times in order to get across a meaning. The whole thing is detailed, yet expressive at the same time; it is well observed, realistic and believable.
I have to say that sometimes the detail in this book is what lets it down. It has sub-plots coming out of its ears, and you can get bogged down and perhaps a little bored when it goes into great depth about characters it had never really occurred to you to care about.
I think I may be a having a more difficult time of it than I need to with this one because I haven't read the first book. As this is the second book in the story, I found myself having to keep referring to the intro/story so far page in order to work out who the hell was who. Obviously the sheer number of characters and sub-plots make this less accessible for the Strangehaven virgin than, perhaps, it needs to be.
Don't get me wrong, however, Strangehaven: Brotherhood is an excellent graphic novel and it has just enough in it to make it interesting, even if sometimes it seems like a soap opera on LSD. Will be a worthwhile buy for the more cerebral amongst you.
