This week I dove back into Zuda Comics’ offerings and after navigating the dark thickets of the various digital comics you can download off the various apps, I found Bayou by Jeremy Love and Patrick Morgan. There is a popular belief that people who live in the middle of nowhere, like me, don’t get exposed to a lot of things as much as big-city folk. And for the most part, it’s true. Luckily, with the digital revolution coming to the comic medium, I am able to get in on some cool books. A few weeks ago I reviewed Azure after discovering it on Comixology’s app, and now I have discovered another treat from Zuda Comics.
Bayou is set in Charon, Mississippi in 1933. Jeremy Love wastes not time by establishing the environment in the first few panels. It’s 1933 in the deep south, and segregation, bigotry, and racism are in full sway. We are introduced to our main character, Lee, who is fishing out a boy who was lynched for whistling at a white woman (Oh the horror). Lee spots a mystical vision, and like any sane person who is immersed in the dangerous waters of the bayou, doesn’t take it lightly. We then see her playing with her white friend, Lilly, who then decides to run down to the Bayou, ignoring Lee’s story, to sate her curiosity. We then learn that Lilly has a prized family heirloom, which is snatched from her neck by a monstrous hand that came out of the Bayou. We then learn that Lilly’s mother beats her, but Lee refuses to jump into the Bayou again to retrieve it.
This story has several elements that make this a fascinating read. Clearly there is a tension between these two friends that will eventually erupt. Lilly has no problem forcing her will on Lee due to the racial differences, and despite her best efforts Lee will most likely be exploited. The swamp creature (Bayou) is a mystery I cannot wait to get to the bottom of. It seems like Bayou is an incarnation of Solomon Grundy, but I believe Jeremy Love has more in mind for this swamp monster.
Artistically, Bayou is a puzzle to me. There are some gorgeous panels using water colors that bring the humid and moist feel of the bayou to your fingertips. The coloring even makes the pages feel dirty, like there is a muddy quality of a 1930’s swamp. If you follow the comic making process, you can see the pencil lines that helped form the angles and special relationships of the panels that are normally erased in the inking phase. Some people like this glimpse into the process, and others I know would say that it detracts from a polished presentation. The artwork dances between polished comics pages, and Sunday Funnies styled art. In one panel there will be a fully plush background with foreground action, and in the next there will be a character who has a sketched quality, with water color brushing and no background. This varied style works for the book, and if you are puzzled about the process and want to study the medium these pages are worth taking some time to study.
I’ll be catching up on this with digital issues since I have little chance of grabbing a trade locally, and I’ll post more reviews in the future. There are many offerings out there digitally, and this is yet another that I plan on following to the bitter end.
Peter Schmeiser – Giggaheim Director
Peter is normally answering several questions everyday about continuity of the DC universe, the status of Spider-man, who has been cast in the latest movies, and what counts as canon in Star Wars. Pete enjoys voicing his opinions on the latest comic books, playing video games, and sharing his wealth of useless comic book knowledge with his friends. The Giggaheim was made to share that.
