The Amazon #1

Written by Steven T. Seagle
Art by Tim Sale

When this series first came out, I wasn't the slightest bit aware of Comico comics - it was a couple of years before I discovered Grendel, and so I was a little surprised when Dark Horse decided to re-print it. At the same time, it only took me about three pages before I realized why this book deserved a new audience.

Seagle and Sale tell a story of a reporter traveling up the Amazon to an American mining site, in search of a missing American worker who disappeared into the jungle around the same time the mining company started being the victim of acts of sabotage and eco-terrorism.

The story is told in a way that is unique even now - the reporter narrates through both his notebook and the article that is written after the fact. It's interesting to get both the immediate reaction to events, and the more polished version, benefitting from hindsight.

Sale's artwork looks great in this book. His panels are tall and narrow in places, leaving lots of room for the open Brazilian sky, and the colours by Dave Stewart are beautiful.

There is also an interview in the back of the book, wherein Seagle and Sale discuss the fact that comics don't appear to have the ability to affect the readers' consciousness. I'm not sure I agree - much of my awareness of the environmental movement came from reading Paul Chadwick's Concrete series in the early 90s, although that is one of the few examples I can think of....

Regardless, I'm glad that Dark Horse has brought this comic back, and I look forward to the rest of this series. My recommendation is that this issue be read with this week's Ex Machina Special - they compliment each other nicely.