Severed
Scott Snyder co-writing something outside the confines of DC and contributing to the new Golden Age of Image is something I was all ready to celebrate (with a reservation or two). “Severed” had huge amounts of buzz going for it, good sales, a unique setting, and some spooky-looking art and covers too. Picking this up in hardcover was a no-brainer and I dove in almost as soon as it arrived from Amazon. Once I finished it, I was left with the feeling that this may wind up as one of the most disappointing things I’ve read this year.
The year is 1916 and young Jack Garron has just found out that not only is he an adopted child, but that his father is making a living as a musician in Chicago. So he hitches a ride on a train to the west determined to start a new life there. Naturally, the trip is fraught with twists and turns, from hobos on trains who see him as an easy mark, to Sam who winds up becoming the first friend he makes on the road. Then there’s Mr. Porter, or is it Mr. Fisher, or does this older man even have a name? He also crosses Jack’s path and that’s when the boy finds out that there are things far worse than being let down by your friends or family.
“Severed” does get points right off the bat for its unique setting. Much as the spirit of the “Roaring 20’s” added to the appeal of “American Vampire,” the sights of an America poised to enter World War I captivate as something seen so rarely in this medium does. From the farmlands of New York and Illinois to the stockyards of Chicago, the art of Attila Futaki brings a bygone era to life in all its gritty and grimy spectacle. Futaki is clearly a talent to watch as there’s a warmth to his work that infuses his photorealistic style and makes it easy to get absorbed in the presentation of the story. Things can get a little murky at times, but it’s a strong effort all around.
As for the story itself, Jeff Lemire unwittingly hits the nail on the head when he states in his introduction that Scott Tuft, a filmmaker, friend of Snyder, and co-writer of this tale, helped bring a real cinematic presentation to his friend’s writing. I’m not saying that everything wrong here is his fault, but “Severed” feels too much like your average horror movie to be truly memorable. Everything that happens to Jack along the way is thoroughly predictable and plays out pretty much the way you’d expect. Will Jack and Sam argue about whether or not the old man is to be trusted? Will Jack continue to trust this old man against all reason? Is there an awful contrivance behind the truth about Jack’s dad? If you guessed that the answer to all three of these is “yes” then you’ll probably be as let down by this title as I was. Yes, it’s competently put together but the whole experience feels like a generic narrative whose rough edges have been sanded off in order to appeal to the masses.
Though the narrative itself is predictable and ultimately unsatisfying, “Severed” utterly fails as a horror comic as well. I’ll admit that most comics billed as “horror” titles fail to get under my skin. Housui Yamazaki’s “Mail” is the rare exception, and there are several parts of Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing” that never fail to creep me out. However, there’s nothing here that comes off as even remotely shocking in terms of violence or in terms of human nature. You know how I said this story was predictable? Well it’s hard to be scared of the monster lying in wait when you can see him around the corner and can prepare yourself for his coming. This is especially true with the framing sequence which shows an older Jack, minus part of an arm, some fifty years after the main narrative. How are we supposed to feel any suspense for his fate when we know that he’s going to survive the experience? It also gives away the fact that the monster is still out there all these years later. To me, this comes off as a failure to understand one of the core tenets of horror — that it’s never really about the horrible thing that’s lurking under our bed or in our closet, but what we’re capable of doing to our fellow man.
“Severed” ends with the knowledge that monsters exist in this world, which is something anyone could tell you before they read this. Regrettably, anyone old enough to understand that is probably too old to be scared by this. I’m not sure if I’d want to recommend this based on the fact that kids are probably the only ones who will be scared by it, but outside of the very squeamish it’s hard to see it having much of an impact on anyone.